Terminology
HemoVision follows the terminology established in the document “Terms and Definitions in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis” published by the Academy Standards Board (ASB) and the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC).
The original document can be found here .
An overview of the terminology is provided in the table below.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accompanying Drop | A small blood drop produced as a by-product of drop formation. |
| Altered Stain | A bloodstain with characteristics that indicate a physical change has occurred. |
| Angle of Impact | The acute angle (alpha), relative to the plane of a target, at which a blood drop strikes the target. |
| Area of Convergence | The space in two dimensions to which the directionalities of spatter stains can be retraced to determine the position of the spatter producing event. |
| Area of Origin | The space in three dimensions to which the trajectories of spatter can be utilized to determine the position of the spatter producing event. |
| Backspatter Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from blood drops which can be produced when a projectile creates an entrance wound. |
| Blood Clot | A gelatinous mass formed by a complex mechanism involving red blood cells, fibrinogen, platelets, and other clotting factors. |
| Bloodstain | A deposit of blood on a surface. |
| Bloodstain Pattern | A grouping or distribution of bloodstains that indicates through regular or repetitive form, order, or arrangement the manner in which the pattern was deposited. |
| Bubble Ring | An outline within a bloodstain resulting from air in the blood. |
| Cast-off Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from blood drops released from an object due to its motion. |
| Cessation Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from blood drops released from an object due to its abrupt deceleration. |
| Directionality | The characteristic of a bloodstain that indicates the direction blood was moving at the time of deposition. |
| Directional Angle | The angle (gamma) between the long axis of a spatter stain and a defined reference line on the target. |
| Drip Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from a liquid that dripped into another liquid, at least one of which was blood. |
| Drip Stain | A bloodstain resulting from a falling drop that formed due to gravity. |
| Drip Trail | A bloodstain pattern resulting from the movement of a source of drip stains between two points. |
| Edge Characteristic | A physical feature of the periphery of a bloodstain. |
| Expiration Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from blood forced by airflow out of the nose, mouth, or a wound. |
| Flow Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from the movement of a volume of blood on a surface due to gravity or movement of the target. |
| Forward Spatter Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from blood drops which can be produced when a projectile creates an exit wound. |
| Impact Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from an object striking liquid blood. |
| Insect Stain | A bloodstain resulting from insect activity. |
| Parent Stain | A bloodstain from which a satellite stain originated. |
| Perimeter Stain | An altered bloodstain which consists of its edge characteristics, the central area having been partially or entirely removed. |
| Pool | A bloodstain resulting from an accumulation of liquid blood on a surface. |
| Projected Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from the ejection of blood under hydraulic pressure, typically from a breach in the circulatory system. |
| Satellite Stain | A smaller bloodstain that originated during the formation of the parent stain as a result of blood impacting a surface. |
| Saturation Stain | A bloodstain resulting from the accumulation of liquid blood in an absorbent material. |
| Serum Stain | The stain resulting from the liquid portion of blood (serum) that separates during coagulation. |
| Spatter Stain | A bloodstain resulting from an airborne blood drop created when external force is applied to liquid blood. |
| Splash Pattern | A bloodstain pattern created from a large volume of liquid blood falling onto a surface. |
| Swipe Pattern | A bloodstain pattern resulting from the transfer of blood from a blood-bearing surface onto another surface, with characteristics that indicate relative motion between the two surfaces. |
| Target | A surface onto which blood has been deposited. |
| Transfer Stain | A bloodstain resulting from contact between a blood-bearing surface and another surface. |
| Void | An absence of blood in an otherwise continuous bloodstain or bloodstain pattern. |
| Wipe Pattern | An altered bloodstain pattern resulting from an object moving through a preexisting wet bloodstain. |
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