An Analysis of Wound Statistics in Relation to Personal Ballistic Protection

Abstract

This report summarises data on gunshot and fragmentation wounds (collectively called "missile wounds") drawn from journal articles available in the public domain. Wound location is discussed with respect to military personal body armour (helmets and protective vests). The data is reviewed according to areas of past conflict (Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Northern Ireland, Lebanon and Croatia). It was found that helmets offered significant protection against fragments. This is important given that fragmentation wounds accounted for up to 90% of all missile injuries. The head should be considered to be a high priority area of protection, given that it received up to 7 times more wounds than would be expected given its size relative the body. Also, in some conflicts, over 35% of wounds were to the upper-mid chest, supporting the idea that a bullet-resistant strip is needed in this area.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA419442

Entities

People

  • Christopher G. Brady

Organizations

  • Defence Science and Technology Group

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ammunition Fragments
  • Armor
  • Australia
  • Body Armor
  • Body Regions
  • Bullet Wounds
  • Engineering
  • Health Services
  • Hospitals
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Human Systems Integration
  • Medical Personnel
  • Patient Care
  • Penetrating Wounds
  • Systems Science
  • Universities
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Trauma Surgery or Emergency Medicine.