Dr. Riviello is professor of emergency medicine at Drexel Emergency Medicine in Philadelphia. He is board certified in emergency medicine and has a master of science in forensic medicine from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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ACEP Now: Vol 34 – No 04 – April 2015Key Points
- Forensic accuracy is essential when taking care of gunshot victims.
- Never estimate the size of a bullet based upon the wound size.
- Radiographs should not be used to accurately determine the caliber of a bullet retained in the body.
Resources
- Messmer JM. Brogdan BG. Pitfalls in the radiology of gunshot wounds. In: Brogdan BG, ed. Forensic radiology. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press; 1998:225-250.
- Heard BJ. Handbook of firearms and ballistics: examining and interpreting forensic evidence. 2nd ed. West Sussex, UK: Wiley; 2008.
- Prahlow JA. Gunshot wound deaths. In: Forensic pathology for police, death investigators, attorneys, and forensic scientists. New York: Springer Science+Business Media; 2010:337-369.
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