ORIGINAL ARTICLE Use of a Pig Model to Demonstrate Vulnerability of Major Neck Vessels to Inflicted Trauma From Common Household Items Roger W. Byard, MBBS, MD,* Glenda E. Cains,† and John D. Gilbert, FRCPA† Abstract: Commonly available items including a ball point pen, a plastic knife, a broken wine bottle, and a broken wine glass were used to inflict stab and incised wounds to the necks of 3 previously euthanized Large White pigs. With relative ease, these items could be inserted into the necks of the pigs next to the jugular veins and carotid arteries. Despite precautions against the carrying of metal objects such as knives and nail files on board domestic and inter- national flights, objects are still available within aircraft cabins that could be used to inflict serious and potentially life-threatening injuries. If airport and aircraft security measures are to be consis- tently applied, then consideration should be given to removing items such as glass bottles and glass drinking vessels. However, given the results of a relatively uncomplicated modification of a plastic knife, it may not be possible to remove all dangerous objects from aircraft. Security systems may therefore need to focus on measures such as increased surveillance of passenger behavior, rather than on attempt- ing to eliminate every object that may serve as a potential weapon. Key Words: neck trauma, stabbing, plastic knife, pen, bottle, glass, aircraft security (Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2007;28: 31–34) T he types of instruments causing lethal incised or stab wounds of the neck and its major vessels are usually knives, although wounds due to broken glasses or bottles are occasionally encountered in victims of assaults, often occur- ring in hotels or at social functions where alcohol is being served. The amount of force required to create a stab wound is determined by both the speed of approach of the blade and the sharpness of the tip, with skin providing the most resistance to penetration. Thus, once a forceful thrust with a relatively sharp object has penetrated the skin, passage through soft tissue and muscle is relatively easy. 1 In the following study, a series of sharp objects, including a ballpoint pen, a plastic knife, a broken drinking glass, and a broken bottle, were used to stab pig carcasses to determine whether such weapons could reach major vessels and inflict lethal wounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three Large White pig carcasses were obtained from the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS) Veterinary Services Surgical Research Facility, Adelaide, South Australia. The animals had been used in unrelated projects that had been approved by the institutional animal ethics committee. Approval had also been granted by the committee for the subsequent use of the carcasses in this study. The animals had been euthanized with intravenous injections of 20 mL of Lethabarb (pentobarbi- tone 325 mg/mL). The age, sex, and weight of each animal were recorded. Immediately following cessation of cardiorespiratory func- tion, demonstrated by electronic monitoring and confirmed on physical examination, the animals necks were shaved and a variety of wounds were inflicted by stabbing the animals with a range of objects. These included a standard office ballpoint pen, a plastic knife obtained from an in-flight meal tray, a standard wine bottle, and a wine glass. The pen was not modified. The plastic knife was broken to provide a sharp tip. The wine bottle was broken against a second bottle, and the neck of the bottle was retained. The wine glass was also broken against another glass, and the portion attached to the base was retained. The wounds were inflicted at a point midway between the angle of the mandible and the point of the shoulder on each side of the neck of each animal. The wounds were photographed and underlying tissues dissected to demonstrate the proximity of the weapon to major vessels. For ethical reasons, no human cadavers were included in the study. RESULTS The animals were all female Large White pigs, aged between 3.0 and 4.0 months and weighing approximately 30 kg. Wounds A standard plastic ballpoint pen was thrust forcefully into the side of a pig neck. Once through the skin, the pen was easily pushed into the deeper soft tissues. Dissection revealed that the pen had passed above the external jugular vein to a point immediately adjacent and beneath the internal carotid artery, 70 mm from the skin surface (Fig. 1). Manuscript received August 23, 2005; accepted November 14, 2005. From *the University of Adelaide, and †Forensic Sciences SA, Adelaide South Australia, Australia. Reprints: Roger W. Byard, The University of Adelaide, Frome Road, Adelaide 5000, Australia. E-mail: byard.roger@saugov.sa.gov.au. Copyright © 2007 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ISSN: 0195-7910/07/2801-0031 DOI: 10.1097/01.paf.0000233530.18744.07 The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology • Volume 28, Number 1, March 2007 31