Biomaterial Database

Multiple nail gun injuries: suicide or homicide? 2024

Mariagrazia Calvano, and Alessandro Cristalli, and Federica Mele, and Mirko Leonardelli, and Gianluca Musci, and Stefano Duma, and Enrica Macorano, and Gianluca Gravili, and Giovanni De Gabriele, and Antonio De Donno, and Francesco Introna

Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine, Policlinico di Bari Hospital, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11 70124, Bari, Italy.

Nail gun injuries are a forensic problem; it can be difficult to distinguish self-inflicted injuries from accident and homicide instances. This kind of injuries shares some characteristics with both gunshot and puncture wounds. We describe a peculiar case of a man who committed suicide driving nails into his skull using a pneumatic nail gun. Entrance wounds were found on both temporal regions of the head. Reviewing scientific literature, this is the first case in Italy reporting the macroscopic data of bilateral head and brain nail gun injuries during an autopsy. Circumstantial elements were not sufficient to clarify if these lesions were self-inflicted, inflicted by accident, or else. Radiological examination can be helpful to show the exact location of the nails, but it has also its own limitations. We firmly believe that autopsy, especially the head section, is crucial to identify the nature and the extension of these lesions, thus giving us much more information about the mechanism of death and the circumstances in which it occurred.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009104	Multiple Trauma	Multiple physical insults or injuries occurring simultaneously.	Injuries, Multiple,Trauma, Multiple,Wounds, Multiple,Multiple Injuries,Polytrauma,Injury, Multiple,Multiple Injury,Multiple Traumas,Multiple Wound,Multiple Wounds,Polytraumas,Traumas, Multiple,Wound, Multiple
D009262	Nails	The thin, horny plates that cover the dorsal surfaces of the distal phalanges of the fingers and toes of primates.	Fingernails,Toenails,Fingernail,Nail,Toenail
D001930	Brain Injuries	Acute and chronic (see also BRAIN INJURIES, CHRONIC) injuries to the brain, including the cerebral hemispheres, CEREBELLUM, and BRAIN STEM. Clinical manifestations depend on the nature of injury. Diffuse trauma to the brain is frequently associated with DIFFUSE AXONAL INJURY or COMA, POST-TRAUMATIC. Localized injuries may be associated with NEUROBEHAVIORAL MANIFESTATIONS; HEMIPARESIS, or other focal neurologic deficits.	Brain Lacerations,Acute Brain Injuries,Brain Injuries, Acute,Brain Injuries, Focal,Focal Brain Injuries,Injuries, Acute Brain,Injuries, Brain,Acute Brain Injury,Brain Injury,Brain Injury, Acute,Brain Injury, Focal,Brain Laceration,Focal Brain Injury,Injuries, Focal Brain,Injury, Acute Brain,Injury, Brain,Injury, Focal Brain,Laceration, Brain,Lacerations, Brain
D006708	Homicide	The killing of one person by another.	Murder,Killing,Wrongful Death,Death, Wrongful,Deaths, Wrongful,Homicides,Killings,Murders,Wrongful Deaths
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013405	Suicide	The act of killing oneself.	Suicides
D014948	Wounds, Gunshot	Disruption of structural continuity of the body as a result of the discharge of firearms.	Gunshot Wound,Gunshot Wounds,Wound, Gunshot
D020197	Head Injuries, Penetrating	Head injuries which feature compromise of the skull and dura mater. These may result from gunshot wounds (WOUNDS, GUNSHOT), stab wounds (WOUNDS, STAB), and other forms of trauma.	Brain Injuries, Penetrating,Cranial Trauma, Penetrating,Craniocerebral Trauma, Penetrating,Missile Injuries, Penetrating, Head,Head Injuries, Penetrating, Missile,Head Injury, Penetrating,Head Trauma, Penetrating,Penetrating Missile Injuries, Head,Brain Injury, Penetrating,Cranial Traumas, Penetrating,Craniocerebral Traumas, Penetrating,Head Traumas, Penetrating,Injuries, Penetrating Head,Injury, Penetrating Head,Penetrating Brain Injuries,Penetrating Brain Injury,Penetrating Cranial Trauma,Penetrating Cranial Traumas,Penetrating Craniocerebral Trauma,Penetrating Craniocerebral Traumas,Penetrating Head Injuries,Penetrating Head Injury,Penetrating Head Trauma,Penetrating Head Traumas,Trauma, Penetrating Cranial,Trauma, Penetrating Craniocerebral,Trauma, Penetrating Head,Traumas, Penetrating Cranial,Traumas, Penetrating Craniocerebral,Traumas, Penetrating Head