Understanding Common Types of Wounds Quiz

Types of Wounds

• There are five common types of wounds: abrasion, alteration, incision, laceration, and puncture.
• Abrasion is a wound caused by friction when a body scrapes across a rough surface.
• Avulsion is characterized by a flap.
• Incision is a cut with clean edges.
• Laceration is a cut with jagged edges.
• Puncture is a wound where something passes through or becomes impaled in the skin.

Blunt Force Wounds

• Blunt force wounds can range from mild to severe when a person is struck with a blunt object.
• Examples of blunt objects include pipes, clubs, and fists.

Abrasions

• Abrasions are scratches and scrapes involving outer layers of the skin, including grazes and impact impressions.
• Examination of abrasions can indicate the exact site of where an object struck the skin and the direction the wounding object was traveling.

Contusions (Bruises)

• Contusions are injuries that do not break the skin but result in some discoloration.
• Contusions can be produced post-mortem.
• The force or intensity of a blow cannot be judged by the size or color of the bruise.
• Bruises do not necessarily occur at the site of impact.

Lacerations

• Lacerations are torn, ragged wounds to the skin or internal organs.
• Lacerations can occur as a result of a blow with a blunt instrument or from extreme trauma.
• The edges of a laceration will be abraded (scraped).
• There may be bridging of vessels and nerves within the wound.
• The skin surrounding a laceration may be undercut (separated from the underlying muscle/bone).

Incised Wounds

• Incised wounds are wounds that are usually longer than they are deep.
• They are caused by a sharp item cutting or slashing into the skin, making a long laceration or cut.

Chopping Wounds

• Chopping wounds represent a combination of sharp and blunt force injuries.
• They are typically produced by a heavy or powerful object that has an edge that is somewhat sharp to very sharp.

Defense Wounds

• Defense wounds are any type of injuries that result from an attempt to defend against an assailant using sharp-edged or blunted instruments.
• Such wounds are usually deeply indented stab wounds, but can be either blunt or sharp in nature.

Coup and Contrecoup Injuries

• Coup injuries are located beneath the impact (usually caused by a blow).
• Contrecoup injuries are on the opposite side from where the blow was initiated.

Gunshot and Shrapnel Wounds

• Gunshot and shrapnel wounds are caused by the penetrating power of a projectile propelled by an expansive force of gas or gun powder.