A Forensic Epidemiological Perspective on Single Stab Injuries to the Trunk in Surviving Assault Victims [German]

This study examines whether injury characteristics in surviving victims of assaults with single stab wounds to the trunk are comparable to those observed in homicide cases. Using data from the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine for assault cases (2016-2017) and forensic autopsy data for homicides (2010-2021), a total of 152 assault survivors were compared with 94 homicide cases. Results indicate significant differences: assault survivors more frequently had injuries to the back and less to the chest compared to homicide victims. Injuries to the skeletal thorax were also less common in assaults. These findings suggest that injury characteristics in assault survivors differ from those in homicides, highlighting the need for further epidemiological research to identify evidence-based markers for assessing assault-related injuries.