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Body Armor

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Trauma Care

  • 242 Accesses

Synonyms

Ballistic vest; Behind armor blunt trauma (BABT); Bullet proof vest; Bullet-resistant vest; Combat helmet; Flak jacket, protective body armor; Personal armor system for ground troops (PASGT)

Definition

Body armor is a protective outer wear clothing usually a type of vest and helmet that is used to prevent injury from being inflicted to an individual by a weapon of direct contact or projectiles used against them.

Preexisting Condition

Anticipation of and/or potential for bluntor penetrating trauma and the need to protect an individual from injury by it.

Body Armor

Different types of body armor, to include helmets, have been utilized throughout history to protect personnel from harm by blows, slashing, stabbing, and projectiles both fragments and bullets. The body armor has been made of materials of increasing protection, from leather to bronze, to iron, to steel, and to synthetic fibers and ceramics, and has increased in sophistication. Each change in material and...

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References

  • Bass CR, Salzar RS (2006) Injury risk in behind armor blunt thoracic trauma. Int J Occup Saf Ergon 12(4):429–442

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  • Lehman RA, Paik H (2012) Low lumbar burst fractures: a unique fracture mechanism sustained in our current overseas conflicts. Spine J 12(9):784–790

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  • Sonden A, Rocksen D, Riddez L (2009) Trauma attenuating backing improves protection against behind armor blunt trauma. J Trauma 67(6):1191–1199

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  • Zhang B, Huang Y (2011) Neurologica, functional and biomechanical characteristics after high-velocity behind armor blunt trauma of the spine. J Trauma 71(6):1680–1688

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Department, USS Nimitz CVN-68, Everett, WA, USA

    Charles A. Frosolone

Authors
  1. Charles A. Frosolone
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charles A. Frosolone .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anesthesiology, Surgery and Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Peter J. Papadakos

  2. Department of Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Rochester, School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA

    Mark L. Gestring

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cite this entry

Frosolone, C.A. (2015). Body Armor. In: Papadakos, P.J., Gestring, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Trauma Care. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_367

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_367

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29611-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29613-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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