title: Three cases of death caused by shots from blank cartridge.
abstract: The authors describe 3 cases of lethal injuries caused by 7.62 mm blank cartridge shots from military automatic rifle of domestic origin (AK 47, 7.62 mm). In 1 case, the cartridge was fired from a weapon that had been leaned on the head, with subsequent destruction of brain, and in other 2 cases, the weapon had been leaned on the chests, which led to destruction of heart parts. The injuries were caused by the action of striking wave of gunpowder explosion, the air blast type. The cases demonstrate that the gas pressure from the exploding propellant of blank cartridge is powerful enough to penetrate the thoracic wall and the skull.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine Nis, Bul. Dr. Zorana Djindjica 81, Nis, Serbia. drmiki26@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Miodrag
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zdravkovic
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milic
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stojanovic
authors.forename: Milos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kostov
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D000328:Adult; D005389:Firearms; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D020197:Head Injuries, Penetrating / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013405:Suicide; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology*