Non-lethal penetrating cardiac injury from a crossbow bolt

Besler, Kirsten; Kleiber, M.; Zerkowski, Hans‐Reinhard; Trübner, Kurt

doi:10.1016/s1353-1131(98)90040-2

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…14,19], and suicides [e.g. 1,3,5,6,8,13,22,25,29] have been published whereas the number of homicides with this type of weapon appears to be small [4,5,7,12,13,27,31]. This paper contributes eight homicides and examines the question whether this easy to purchase weapon is suitable for intentional killing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossbow homicides

et al. 2004

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A total of eight cases of homicide by crossbow are reported, including six intentional, assault-like killings and one hired killer. The bolts showed a high penetration capacity despite the rather low kinetic energy (<100 J): a field-tip traversed one upper arm and the thorax (36 cm) and two broadheads caused perforating injuries of the thorax (25-26 cm). This was due to the high sectional density and the split-like penetration mechanism. Wound morphology was especially important if the perpetrator had extracted the bolt, which occurred in half of the cases. The shape of the entrance wound depended on the type of arrowhead: broadheads produced star-shaped to triangular wounds, field-tips caused circular, oval or slit-like injuries. Foreign material from the arrowhead was found inside two injuries. In assaults, the crossbow was used to hunt the victim down from a short distance which does not require practice but still has the advantage of a distance weapon. However, immediate incapacitation occurred rarely so that additional violence was frequently applied. The noiseless character of the weapon explains why many victims were taken by surprise and why the corpses initially remained unnoticed. Crossbows can therefore be considered ideal weapons for man hunting and some were bought for the very purpose of the killing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossbow homicides

et al. 2004

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“…The tissue elasticity often allows the arrow to lodge in the wound canal and stop further bleeding. 1 Other cases of penetrating crossbow injuries were already reported, [1][2][3] but our case is the first one to describe combined cardiac and hepatic wounds caused by two simultaneously shot arrows.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…[1][2][3] Crossbow arrows have a high penetrative energy and can even shatter bone. Crossbows pose a high risk to their owners through easy access and careless handling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Rare, Combined Cardiac and Hepatic Crossbow Injury

Weymann

Sebening

2014

ATCS

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A 32-year-old man presented to our hospital after a failed suicide attempt using a crossbow. The patient had shot himself in close range with a double-barreled crossbow, simultaneously two arrows, in the chest. In spite of his life-threatening injuries, the man survived. The lodged arrows helped to avoid tremendous loss of blood. After his arrival in the hospital, the surgical removal of the arrows proceeded under direct visualization with corresponding sutures on the heart and liver. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful.

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“…Entrance wounds from a field-tipped arrow are often nearly indistinguishable from gunshot wounds [3][4][5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…could produce the same type of external wound [1,4]. Thus, when no weapon is found in the crime scene, caution must be exercised by forensic pathologists in the evaluation of injuries [1][2][3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An unusual case of crossbow homicide

Pomara

D’Errico

Neri

2007

Forens Sci Med Pathol

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The authors report the case of a man found unresponsive in a wooded area with injuries on the face, eyes, shoulders and back, probably produced by caustic agents. A penetrating wound was noted in the left occipital region. Four days after admission to an Intensive Care Unit he died. No weapon was found at the crime scene. Autopsy revealed an occipital bone defect in the wound area, and cerebral haemorrhage in the left hemisphere in the absence of an exit wound. Immunohistochemical staining of brain samples for β-APP were critical establishing the extent of the injury. The peculiarity of the wound and the lack of circumstantial evidence made it necessary to conduct a careful investigation to identify the weapon. Firing tests performed on experimental cranial models established the use of a crossbow weapon as a cause of the observed wound.

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Non-lethal penetrating cardiac injury from a crossbow bolt

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Crossbow homicides

Crossbow homicides

A Rare, Combined Cardiac and Hepatic Crossbow Injury

An unusual case of crossbow homicide

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