How to Identify a Knife Wound

Knife wounds usually appear on the upper body, neck, arms and head. The injuries can be superficial, slicing or deep and penetrating or cause internal damage that isn't immediately obvious. It's important to identify and obtain medical treatment if you suspect a knife wound as soon as possible. Read on to learn how to identify a knife wound.

Instructions

• 1

  Examine the clothing of the victim for cut marks. They will probably correlate with the location of the injury, but the cut may not be directly over the injury if, for example, the arms were in a raised position during an attack. Several cut marks on the clothing doesn't necessarily mean more than one knife wound. If the clothing was creased, the knife may have penetrated several layers at once. However, in the case of a stabbing, there are usually multiple wounds.

• 2

  Inspect the wounds after removing the clothing. Knife wounds have certain characteristics that other weapons don't have. The depth of the wound is greater than the length. They are usually oval shaped with clean cut edges, which are close to the size of the weapon used. A knife with a double edge will cause a wound that is oval shaped and pointed on each end, but a knife with a single edge is usually blunt on one end. A serrated knife causes ragged edges, with more damage to the surrounding tissue. Normally, there won't be any bruising around the site unless there was great force used, and the knife goes in to the hilt.

• 3

  Observe the hands for defense wounds. Slashes may be on one or both palms or forearms, indicating that the victim attempted to fight off an attack. A slash wound is different from a stab wound in that the length is greater than the depth. They usually aren't as serious as a stab wound.

• 4

  Consider all knife wounds life-threatening until you are sure that there aren't any internal injuries. A knife can penetrate deeply into the body, causing damage to vital organs, and the amount of blood doesn't always indicate the severity of the wound. If bleeding is internal, it may take a while before you know the full extent of the injury.