He's got an exit wound - wtf?

Random

Ok, so you see in all these police shows and films a medic roaring out "He's got an exit wound!".

What the hell is the significance of this? What does that mean? (in laymans terms!)

Crucifix

An exit wound is the wound where a bullet exits the body.

TerrorFirmer

Would that not have seemed obvious to you, ciaranfo?

Random

HavoK wrote:

Would that not have seemed obvious to you, ciaranfo?

Shad up before I beat you!

I mean what's the significance? Is it good? Is it bad? Why the hell would they roar it out so loudly?

simu

ciaranfo wrote:

Shad up before I beat you!

I mean what's the significance? Is it good? Is it bad? Why the hell would they roar it out so loudly?

IT SOUNDS IMPRESSIVE, OK? DON'T QUESTION TV!

Sam Vimes

i suppose it gives an idea of the trajectory of the bullet, what direction the person was shot from. also, they tend to be very messy so they're good to mention on tv

TerrorFirmer

It's good - if you could call such a situation where somebody actually has an exit wound just that. Not so much good as better then there not being an exit wound. Otherwise, the bullet would be lodged somewhere in the body.

Caliden

its good as long as it doesnt exit through your liver. thank you prison break.

Random

I guess this is true enough ...I just wondered.

Cheers

Stark

Exit wounds are generally larger than exit wounds so there could be more risk of signifigant blood loss. On the other hand, exit wounds are easier to treat as the bullet has already left the body and there's generally less residue. Also, if the bullet left the body, then it didn't get to impart all its energy into the body which it would have done if it had lodged in the body.

TheBlock

Or Bad in that they are bleeding from two wounds now.....Maybe more arteries/veins severed.

Edit for spleling

Random

TheBlock wrote:

Or Bad in that they are bleeding from two wounds now.....Maybe more arteries/veins severed.

Edit for spleling

Joy, I is confused again

Rhyme

Also if there is no exit wound in vital areas (chest, abdomen etc) there is a higher chance of the bullet sitting somewhere that it might kill the person.

me and the biz

If it didn't exit it could travel up to the heart and block it causing a heart attack

(Saw it in ER)

robinph

TheBlock wrote:

Or Bad in that they are bleeding from two wounds now.....Maybe more arteries/veins severed.

Edit for spleling

Or good that they are not now bleeding internally.

Dave!

It's because if the bullet doesn't exit, then it stays in the body, and once metal is exposed to the acid within your stomach for example, for too long, it becomes very volatile, and has a tendency to explode. This isn't going to hurt anyone around you or anything! But the little shards of metal are then likely to damage other organs which they hit, rather than just the (hopefully) one that it "goes it and out" (cop term ) of.

Thus, an exit wound is a good thing *ahem*

TheBlock

robinph wrote:

Or good that they are not now bleeding internally.

Surely they could be bleeding internally as well? The bullet went through them?

robinph

TheBlock wrote:

Surely they could be bleeding internally as well? The bullet went through them?

But they now have two holes to drain you from, one of them will need significantly more stitches though when they get round to the patching you back up again.

chamlis

Exit wounds can be explosive.
I wouldn't want a hole the size of a Terry's Chocolate Orange in my back tbh.
Or anywhere really....

Thrill

When a bullet exits the body doctors can tell from the trajectory what arteries or organs it may have damaged and can treat the victim immediately based on this information. If, on the other hand, the bullet does not exit, the doctors cannot tell immediately which direction the bullet went once it entered the body, they have no way of knowing how badly the person is injured internally and cannot start treating the victim properly until he/she has gotten to the hospital.

And then they have to open the person up to find the bullet.

.

arybvtcw0eolkf

DaveMcG wrote:

It's because if the bullet doesn't exit, then it stays in the body, and once metal is exposed to the acid within your stomach for example, for too long, it becomes very volatile, and has a tendency to explode. This isn't going to hurt anyone around you or anything! But the little shards of metal are then likely to damage other organs which they hit, rather than just the (hopefully) one that it "goes it and out" (cop term ) of.

Thus, an exit wound is a good thing *ahem*

Bullets don't explode!.

As regards the importance of the exit wound, damned if I know TBH.

I recently done a medic's course (I'm in the defence forces) and was never told anything about the significance of an exit would.

aidan24326

People here seem to be under the impression that an exit wound is a good thing? I'm not so sure. The exit wound of a bullet is always much more severe than the entry wound, and it implies a high velocity bullet which will have caused extensive damage. Though it depends on the type of bullet, type of gun etc.

Nevyn

Some bullets do explode, infact they are desgined to do so.
They go in like a peanut and out like a pietray.
Ie a 22 to 35 mil entry wound and a 4 to 6 inch exit wound.

The reason that it is important to note that there is an exist wound is that

a) if it is not huge and apprently so then the bullet did not break up on impact or the head of the bullet and shred the persons insides on the way out,

b) if the exit wound is small then the bullet stayed intact while it passed through the body and caused less damage then if it had fractured.

c) if there is not a exit wound then the bullet stayed in the body bouncing about causing a lot of damage and may be lodged in a vital area and moving the person around can cause more damage or dislodge the bullet causing them to bleed out.

d) if there is not an exit wound then the person has a metal bullet in them and there are certain medical proceedures that can not be preformed while it is lodged in them like an MRI scan.

The hand over between emt and admiting Dr has to be clear and presise esp the vital info that can effect the first 5 to 10 mins of the person hitting the ER and thier survival rate.

Hagar

Thaed, get yourself over to the Military Forum and stop pffaffing about with PI.

Stark

DaveMcG wrote:

Thus, an exit wound is a good thing *ahem*

Damnit; now I want one.

tovalee

Perhaps it is like when you punch a hole in the top of a tin. one hole and the liquid inside just trickles out , but poke another hole and it gushes. not sure if human squishiness works the same way as a tin of liquid, but who knows?

Nevyn

Hagar wrote:

Thaed, get yourself over to the Military Forum and stop pffaffing about with PI.

Love you too Hagar and glad to see you back.

Hagar

Thanks, glad to be back.
It's hard to find a girl with an interest in forensic ballistics.
You're one of a kind.:D

Nevyn

Why thank you, I'd offer to talk dirty about antipersonal mines and traps but your mrs might complain

Steyr

Commander Vimes wrote:

i suppose it gives an idea of the trajectory of the bullet, what direction the person was shot from.

If a bullet goes through you it will either go clean through or get lodged inside you or literally bounce around inside you as is what happened JFK i think it entered through his torso and exited at his leg? I do know that when a bullet goes through you it will have a small entry point ( its diameter such as 9mm 7.62mm 5.56mm ) and a big exit point as the bullet is going faster than the speed of sound it creates a shockwave around it like a cone.



you get the idea i hope.

il gatto

Depending on the velocity, caliber and structure of the projectile, the exit wound can be good and bad. for example, a small caliber, high powered bullet, with a full metal jacket, should pass straight through soft tissue relatively intact. This may be good ( if you're lucky), as the bullet has left the body, and entry and exit wounds are small(ish).
However, a large bullet, with a tendency to fragment(be that dum dum, polymer, holow point or whatever) travelling at a lower velocity, tends to punch a much bigger hole.
What happens when a bullet hits a body, is that the flesh aound and before the bullet, becomes liquidised by the force and shockwave (as mentioned by Steyr). This pulped material is then forced through and punches a much bigger hole on exiting the body. The result is a huge bloody hole which needs immediate medical attention to stop you bleeding to death.
In the Zulu wars, the British found that their Martini Henry rifle bullets, passed straight through Zulu warriors who were attacking them. They started using the Webley pistol, which had a much lower muzzle velocity, but fired a massive bullet. Being shot with a Webley was apparently like being hit by a bus, as the slower moving bullet actually flattened its target. Difference between a speedy slap to the face and a big punch, I suppose. So high powered does not necessarily mean most lethal.
Moral of the story is, don't get yourself shot to find out