ABSTRACT
Because of the strict gun control system in Korea, deaths from gunfire injury cannot be frequently seen in the legal autopsies. Injuries or deaths among the registered hunters using shotguns, though not common, have been reported via mass media. We experienced a 52-year-old male's shotgun death in which the manner of death was mostly assumed to be a suicide. The shotgun injury presented the billiard ball ricochet effect, in which a large wound was formed on the inner side of the left thoracic cavity by spraying out of pellets while a small entry wound by bunched pellets was on the left anterior chest wall.
Subject(s)
Humans , Middle Aged , Autopsy , Firearms , Korea , Mass Media , Suicide , Thoracic Cavity , Thoracic WallABSTRACT
Fourteen cases of craniocerebral shotgun injury were repoted, including 10 males and 4 females. Eleven patients were treated non—operatively and 3 operatively. Two of the 3 patients died after operation. The clinical manifestation, wound judgment and management are discussed detailly in the paper. The complications of the injury such as intracranial hematoma, brain abcess, epilepsy and morality were significantly lower than those of other missile craniocerebral injury. Although the matal pills remained in the patient brains for a long time, the final outcome of shotgun injured patients is good.