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Abstract
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Existing laceration scales rely on subjective assessment. A new method has been devised for the quantitative assessment of the severity of lacerations in the two layers of chamois leather and the subcutaneous tissue simulation used in laceration investigations.
The method uses a simple mathematical formula to relate the severity of laceration to the number, length and depth of cuts in the tissue simulations. The formula gives an excellent correlation with the existing scale used by Corning and was devised using the data on various levels of laceration obtained on an impact rig resembling the Corning Skull Impactor. Further studies were made to ensure that the correlation between the new scale and the Corning Scale was retained when the characteristics of the laceration differed from those with which the scale was developed.
The new scale provides a means of ranking severity of laceration and possesses the following advantages: 1. It is substantially non-subjective, so that any two users can produce similar results; this has been a real problem up to now for workers in the field. 2. It is in very good agreement with the Corning Scale, so that results expressed in terms of the new index can be interpreted internationally with ease. This should help progress in the field of injury assessment. 3. In contrast with other scales in common use, it is continuous and is not limited at the severe end of the Scale.
The new index has been called the Triplex Laceration Index. |