Injury Documentation and Evidence Handling Flashcards
7 cards from real ABFM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Injury Documentation and Evidence Handling flashcards as text
In sexual assault cases, why are specimens from a sexual assault forensic evidence (SAFE) kit stored refrigerated rather than frozen?
Answer: Ice crystal formation can lyse cells and degrade cellular DNA
Ice crystal formation during freezing can rupture cells, degrade genomic DNA, and compromise sperm morphology, making refrigeration the preferred short-term storage method.
Which term describes the systematic, grid-pattern search of a crime scene designed to ensure complete coverage of evidence?
Answer: Strip (line) search expanded in perpendicular passes
A double-strip (grid) search has searchers cover an area in parallel lines, then rotate 90° and repeat, ensuring overlapping coverage of the entire scene.
Vital reaction in a wound — such as erythema, swelling, and hemorrhage — is forensically significant because it indicates:
Answer: The victim was alive and had circulation at the time of injury
Vital reaction requires an active cardiovascular system; its presence confirms the wound was sustained ante-mortem when circulation was intact.
A forensic nurse examiner documents a wound as '2 cm × 0.5 cm laceration, 12 o'clock position right forearm, 8 cm proximal to wrist.' This body location notation method uses:
Answer: Anatomical landmark referencing with clock-face orientation
Combining anatomical landmarks (named body regions, measured distances from bony prominences) with clock-face orientation provides precise, reproducible wound location documentation.
Exsanguination at a scene is BEST quantified for medicolegal documentation by:
Answer: Estimating pooled blood volume using stain geometry and surface absorption factors
Blood volume estimates use stain area, shape, and known surface absorption coefficients to approximate blood loss for injury severity documentation.
Under the Federal Rules of Evidence (Rule 702), an expert witness in forensic medicine must demonstrate that their testimony is based on:
Answer: Sufficient facts, reliable methodology, and methodology reliably applied to the facts
FRE 702 (as shaped by Daubert) requires expert testimony to rest on sufficient facts or data, a reliable methodology, and reliable application of that methodology to the case facts.
When photographing a deceased victim's wounds outdoors in bright sunlight, a forensic photographer should FIRST:
Answer: Shield the wound from direct sun to eliminate harsh shadows and blown highlights
Direct sunlight creates harsh, high-contrast shadows that obscure wound detail; shading the area produces diffuse, even illumination critical for accurate documentation.