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Perimortem fracture pattern in ribs by blunt force trauma

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Abstract

Literature on timing of rib trauma is scarce but remains challenging during forensic cases. This study analysed the macroscopic fracture patterns of perimortem rib fractures and compared them to experimentally reproduced rib fractures on fresh and dry ribs. Six distinctive macroscopic traits were found in ribs that might provide information about the timing of trauma, fracture mechanism and/or trauma circumstances. These traits are peels, folds, differential fracture edges, incomplete fractures, plastic deformation and longitudinal lines. Peels, folds and plastic deformation might provide information about trauma timing. Folds and different fracture edges might provide information about the fracture mechanism. Statistical analyses showed that longitudinal lines, folds and incomplete fractures might provide information about the trauma circumstances and that age might have an influence on the occurrence of complete fractures, longitudinal lines and peels (p ≤ 0.05). The new insights presented in this study might be valuable for forensic anthropologists in rib trauma analysis.

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Notes

  1. Mechanical CPR is performed by a chest compression system called LUCAS™ [25, 26]. This device consists of a battery-driven suction cup and pressure pad to deliver uninterrupted compressions at a consistent rate and depth to facilitate the return of spontaneous blood circulation.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to the technicians and personnel staff of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Catalonia (IMLCFC) and the GRABI research group.

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Author notes

  1. Sarah Scheirs and Willeke Langenhorst contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forensic Anthropology Unit, Institut de Medicina Legal i Cienciès Forense (IMLCFC), Ciutat de la Justícia, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 111 Edifici G, 08075, Barcelona, Spain

    Sarah Scheirs, Willeke Langenhorst, Marisa Ortega-Sánchez & Ignasi Galtés

  2. Biological Anthropology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Sarah Scheirs, Assumpció Malgosa, Cristina Santos, Xavier Jordana & Ignasi Galtés

  3. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Informatics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Willeke Langenhorst

  4. Anatomy and Embriology Unit, Morphological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    Marisa Ortega-Sánchez & Alfonso Rodriguez-Baeza

  5. Community Outreach and Engagement, The Achavanich Beaker Burial Project, Edinburgh, Scotland

    Hannah McGlynn

  6. Legal Medicine Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    Ignasi Galtés

Authors
  1. Sarah Scheirs
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  2. Willeke Langenhorst
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  3. Assumpció Malgosa
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  4. Marisa Ortega-Sánchez
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  5. Hannah McGlynn
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  6. Cristina Santos
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  7. Xavier Jordana
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  8. Alfonso Rodriguez-Baeza
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  9. Ignasi Galtés
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ignasi Galtés.

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This study was approved by the Ethic Commission of Human and Animal Experimental Work (CEEAH) of the UAB, in compliance with the ethical regulations.

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Scheirs, S., Langenhorst, W., Malgosa, A. et al. Perimortem fracture pattern in ribs by blunt force trauma. Int J Legal Med 132, 1205–1213 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1806-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1806-8

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