PATTERN OF BLUNT FORCE MECHANICAL INJURIES AMONG MEDICO-LEGAL CASES IN HYDERABAD

Abstract

Background: Mechanical trauma of the blunt force type is one of the most frequent types of trauma that are met in the medico-legal practice and take up one of the largest shares of the cases that are studied in the emergency departments and police surgeon units. Such injuries are often linked with physical attacks, interpersonal violence, domestic conflicts, road accidents, workplace accidents and falls. Due to easy access to blunt objects in the environment, including sticks, iron rods, bricks, stones, and wooden objects, blunt trauma is a major public health and forensic issue because this technique is frequently applied in violent confrontations.In forensic medicine, the nature, mechanism, severity and the weapon that could be used to cause blunt force injury all depend on the accurate documentation and interpretation of such injuries. Some of the typical modes of common injury are abrasions, contusions, lacerations, fractures and mixed patterns of injury which have significant medico-legal implications. This pattern, distribution, and age of these injuries can assist in reconstructing the chain of events, distinguishing between accidental and intentional injuries, and matching the words said by victims with the physical evidence.Blunt force injuries are a significant problem in urban medico-legal centers like Police Surgeon Hyderabad, and Liaquat University Hospital because of the increased violence, traffic accidents, and workplace trauma. The forensic profile and epidemiological data of such injuries may be studied to offer useful local evidence on enhancing trauma management, medico-legal reporting and violence prevention measures.

Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the trend, frequency and forensic importance of blunt force injuries in medicolegal cases in Hyderabad.

Methods: The study involved a retrospective cross-sectional study of 246 medicolegal cases that were reported in 2024 between January and December. The descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data on age, gender, injury type, and anatomical site.

Findings: The majority of the cases were female (83.7%), and male (16.3). The most affected age group was 18–35 years (68.3%). The most frequent type of injury was contusions (39.8%), then lacerations (30.1) and abrasions (21.1). The most common anatomical parts were the head and face (45.5%), upper limbs (27.6%).

Conclusion: Blunt force trauma affects young females most of the time and is likely to involve the face and head. These results indicate the significance of forensic records and specific prevention measures