Before treating a gunshot wound, you must first evaluate the severity of the injury. This includes a couple of actions, which may be looking for the bullet, removing it & safely cleaning the wound. The second action is essential considering that the wound may worsen & an infection gets in should the bullet be left inside.
However, removing the bullet is not always mandatory. Some gunshot wounds have little shards in them, which are typically difficult to remove. In fact, trying may cause more damage than leaving it in. You should only attempt to remove these shards if you’re a pro in surgery.
The Necessary Course of Actions In a Gunshot Wound Emergency
In the case of an emergency, it becomes important that you discharge some functions to preserve the victim’s life. The steps to take when you have to save a shot person far in the wild are as follows:
- Clean the Wound: Cleaning the wound starts from your attempt to get out at least the larger shards of the bullet. You should be able to do so, and after that is when you clean & disinfect the area. This extends to bandaging the wound, stopping blood loss & getting them to safety, if you can’t perform any treatment. Change the bandages as they get soaked & avoid using dirty ones to prevent infections. Controlling blood loss & preventing infections are two critical steps to take here. You’ll need some of the finest first-aid kits for these purposes.
- Use Antibiotics: Antibiotics are a regular presence in a first-aid toolkit, so I expect you to have some. If you do, take some to inhibit the spread of infection. Use painkillers, too, if they are available; they will suppress the pain, helping you stay sane & focused enough to make your way to help. If you’re the one improvising as the doctor, then you should help the person use the drugs. You want to keep them conscious & sane. Just so you know, pain can render a person unconscious & cause them to act irrationally.
- Remember Elevation: It is always necessary to watch out for the angle of the wound. Wherever the bullet wound is, you have to keep it higher than the heart. Let’s say the victim was shot in the leg; you will have to prop the leg at a slightly elevated angle. This is done to prevent excessive blood from flowing into the shot part, thereby avoiding swelling.
A, B, C, D, E comes next immediately after these steps. The letters are an acronym for airways, breathing, conscious, disabled & exposure.
Treating a Gunshot Wound According to the Shot Part
We’ve previously mentioned that there are varying procedures for treating gunshots in the different parts of the body.
However you get on with the treatment; you need to make decisions based on the assessment you’ve made. A severe wound must be bleeding excessively, and stopping the bleeding becomes your priority. The first step is to apply sufficient pressure on the wound, using clothing, pads, or fingers. While at this, check for a clean cloth to use as the bandage. There’s the liberty to use as many clothing pieces as possible to keep the pressure on, but they have to be clean.
Gunshot to the Limb
Gunshot to any of your limbs (arm, thigh, or leg) requires you first apply pressure to certain areas close to the wound. If the shot is in the arm, you’ll have to press the area close to the armpit because there’s an artery leading sure to the heart in that area. By pressing this artery, the heart pumps less blood, thereby keeping down the bleeding. If you have a paracord, you may make an improvised tourniquet.
This set of instructions applies to wounds on the thighs or legs too. There is an artery like the one mentioned above close to the bikini area, so that may be where you have to press if the shot is on either part. Remember that the control of blood loss is very critical.
Gunshot to the Abdomen
Note first that a person shot in the abdomen may get his vital organs damaged. And it is typically difficult to render any help to the person in the absence of dedicated medical attention. However, there may be some products that can help. Celox & QuikClot are two products that help to speed up the clotting process, which can be very crucial in extreme cases. QuikClot contains kaolin, a powerful chemical for accelerating clotting. Celox is similar, and it may be applied like gauze. The manufacturer claims that the product can stop bleeding within 5 minutes of use.
While these products are mainly made for the Military, you can also buy them in stores. Before using these products, ensure to read the manual & understand the instructions, although the application procedure is easy & may not require any reading. All you need do is apply the pad & press it gently to the wound.
Gunshot to the Head
A gunshot to the head is typically fatal & there is nothing you can do, if you’ll be honest with yourself. The best you should do is get medical help as soon as possible while keeping the head upright as you go by it. Keeping the head horizontally will cause blood to fill it more rapidly, causing the brain to swell. And should this happen, it’s only a matter of time before brain swelling kills them.
I include areas around the face & neck in the head. They all bleed profusely! A person who gets a gunshot to the head, face, or neck will lose a considerable amount of blood in 30 seconds. Failure to apply pressure instantly & correctly is instant death. And what’s worse is that your neck contains carotid arteries which must not be pressed. They carry blood to your brain, and pressing them will lead to a shortage of oxygen in the brain. The result is usually coma or brain death.
A very critical thing to note ahead is that a gunshot to the head can be horrible to look at. You have to be psychologically able to do what’s expected of you: get the victim help!
Concluding Thoughts on Treating a Gunshot Wound — Part 2
Treating a gunshot wound is a broad topic that we honestly can’t cover. However, we’ve discussed the most important parts of it, including the A, B, C, D, E technique & the appropriate methods for treating each type of gunshot wound. You may have to take a professional course on the topic to be more equipped to treat these injuries. Let’s hear from you: how prepared are you to handle a gunshot wound?