Frontier in Medical & Health Research
SHARP FORCE INJURIES: FORENSIC EXAMINATION, PATTERN ANALYSIS, AND MEDICOLEGAL INTERPRETATION AT LIAQUAT UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES, JAMSHORO
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Keywords

Sharp force injuries, incised wounds, stab wounds, defense wounds, forensic medicine, medicolegal trauma, LUMHS Jamshoro

How to Cite

SHARP FORCE INJURIES: FORENSIC EXAMINATION, PATTERN ANALYSIS, AND MEDICOLEGAL INTERPRETATION AT LIAQUAT UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES, JAMSHORO. (2026). Frontier in Medical and Health Research, 4(4), 39-44. https://fmhr.net/index.php/fmhr/article/view/2620

Abstract

Sharp force injuries constitute a significant portion of medicolegal trauma and of particular forensic significance due to their common occurrence in assault, homicide, suicide, domestic violence, interpersonal conflict and accidental trauma. This is a cross-sectional retrospective investigation of sharp force cuts that were studied in Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, during one year between January and December 2024 in terms of prevalence, demographic data, wound morphology, anatomical distribution, and forensic interpretation.There were 200 cases of medicolegal cases, of which 160 were females (80%), and 40 were males (20%). The age span was between the childhood and the elderly victims with the 1835 years years group being the largest (68%). Incised wounds were the most frequent type of sharp force injury (46%), then stab wounds (27%), chop wounds (11%), and defense cuts (10%).The topmost part of the body (35%), the head/face (28%), and the trunk (17%), were the most affected parts anatomically.The high rates of upper limb injuries are a strong indicator of defensive wounds as a result of being attacked whilst the trunk stab wounds are considered suspect of homicide. The paper highlights the forensic importance of wound size, margins, angles, direction, injuries of defense, and weapon correlation when re-creating a violent incident. The findings are a useful baseline data in enhancing medicolegal documentation, forensic education and violence prevention approaches in Sindh.

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