Comments on "Ballistics: a primer for the surgeon"

TL;DR

This paper reviews evidence from animal studies and human case reports demonstrating that ballistic pressure waves can cause remote injuries, including brain and spinal cord damage, challenging previous assertions to the contrary.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of experimental and clinical evidence supporting remote ballistic pressure wave effects, which was previously underrecognized.

Findings

Ballistic pressure waves can cause remote brain injuries.

Animal studies show pressure wave effects in pigs and dogs.

Human case studies document remote spinal cord injuries.

Abstract

In response to a published assertion to the contrary, this paper briefly reviews many studies that document remote wounding effects of ballistic pressure waves including experiments in pigs and dogs that find brain injury resulting from animal models shot in the thigh and case studies in humans that document both remote brain and spinal cord injuries ascribed to ballistic pressure waves.