Firearm injuries: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Firearm injuries

Sample item

A suicide victim has a contact rifle wound over the temple with a stellate, ragged entry and soot on the bone of the skull. What explains the stellate shape?

AExpansion of gas under the skin tearing the tissue as it reboundsBExit of a tumbling bulletCA ricochet from the skullDUse of a smooth-bore weapon at long range

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Expansion of gas under the skin tearing the tissue as it rebounds

In a contact shot over bone, hot gases enter beneath the skin and expand between the skin and skull, causing a stellate (cruciate or star-shaped) tear. Soot and burning of the skin surround the wound, and muzzle imprint may be seen.

Option by option

A. Expansion of gas under the skin tearing the tissue as it rebounds (correct)
Correct. Gas expansion between skin and bone causes the stellate tear.
B. Exit of a tumbling bullet
Exit wounds do not have soot and are described separately.
C. A ricochet from the skull
Ricochet produces irregular wounds but does not explain soot in a contact wound.
D. Use of a smooth-bore weapon at long range
Long-range wounds lack soot and tattooing, and the pattern would be a neat round hole.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is A, Expansion of gas under the skin tearing the tissue as it rebounds. In a contact shot over bone, hot gases enter beneath the skin and expand between the skin and skull, causing a stellate (cruciate or star-shaped) tear.

Why is "Exit of a tumbling bullet" not the answer?

Exit wounds do not have soot and are described separately.

Why is "A ricochet from the skull" not the answer?

Ricochet produces irregular wounds but does not explain soot in a contact wound.

Why is "Use of a smooth-bore weapon at long range" not the answer?

Long-range wounds lack soot and tattooing, and the pattern would be a neat round hole.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Firearm injuries in Forensic Medicine. Soot and burning of the skin surround the wound, and muzzle imprint may be seen.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Firearm injuries?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.