eforensicmed - sharp force trauma

Sharp force trauma includes;

Incised wounds - caused by any implement/ object having a sharp edge. This can include knives and broken glass, for example.
Stab wounds - which are incised wounds where the length of injury on the surface is less than the depth of penetration into the body.
Slash wounds - which are incised wounds that are longer than they are deep.
Chop wounds - are caused by implements such as machetes, meat cleavers, swords, axes etc. They are often severe in nature, and can include extensive soft tissue and bone damage. They represent a combination of sharp and blunt force trauma; the sharpness of the cutting edge influences how clean the wound edges are.

Characteristics of blunt force lacerations vs sharp force incised wounds

	Laceration	Incised Wound
Cause	Blunt force trauma	Sharp force trauma
Edges	Ragged/ irregular	Cleanly divided
Bruising/abrasions?	Yes	No
Depth	Variable	Can be uniform
Presence of tissue bridging?	Yes	No
Position	Particularly bony prominences	Any location
Presence of foreign bodies?	Often contaminated wounds	Usually clean (unless caused by glass)
Hairs	Intact hairs may cross the wound	Hairs are cleanly divided
Bony injury	May have associated fractures	Scoring or chipping of bone may occur
Healing	2° intention (with extensive scarring)	1° intention – good if wound edges apposed. Generally leaves fine scarring