BEHIND ARMOR BLUNT TRAUMA: RECREATION OF FIELD CASES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF BACKFACE SIGNATURE TESTING

摘要

A total of 47 real-world cases were re-created in a laboratoryenvironment. Cases were identified from the IACP/Dupont® andSafariland survivors’ databases. Exemplar armor was obtained for testingin the laboratory. Details surrounding the incident were determined and theammunition and stand off distance were matched. The armor was placed onthe standard preconditioned roma plastilina clay block and struck in thesame location as reported in the case study. Both depth of deformation andvolume of crater were recorded. Based on the analysis, the average depth ofdeformation for those cases involving minimal soft tissue damage (i.e.,bruising) was 29.2 ± 12.4 mm. The average depth of deformation for thosecases involving more severe injuries was statistically greater at 43.6 ± 27.3mm (p<0.05). The data indicate a 50% risk of severe injury with adeformation of 43.6 mm. (95% CI [33.9 mm, 5.3 m]).