Treating a gunshot wound can be as traumatic for the rescuer as it is for the shot victim. Looking into a bullet hole in a friend’s leg (and seeing splatters of his bones scattered around) is too much for many people to take. But, when SHTF, do you have the chance to choose your poison?
No.
You only have the chance to find an antidote.
With the first line of this article in mind, I advise that you consider the rescuer if you’re the shot victim. Remember, he’s going through as much as you are. Don’t scream; picture anything beautiful.
Mind over matter. Right? Right, John Wick? Or how do you do it?
Meanwhile, there are various steps to follow to give appropriate care to a shot person even if you’ve never done so. Note that you mustn’t wait for more than 10 minutes after the gunshot. It is crucial to know now that there are different types of gunshot wounds, according to where they are shot—for example, the head, limbs, or abdomen.
How Does a Gunshot Damage Happen?
Before we get into the gory details of treating a gunshot injury, we must first see how the damage happens.
To begin with, let’s assess the bullet. It is typically a small casing containing a powder charge. It flies at an impossible speed when it is fired, covering 1500 meters per second (call it Superman) towards its target. Do know that this speed may vary depending on the actual bullet type, what it weighs & the model of gun it’s shot from.
When the bullet makes contact with any object, be it the target or not (call it a blind superman actually), the powder charge goes off in an attempt to damage the immediate surrounding — and it usually does. Typically, the most vulnerable parts are the head & abdomen (the upper body). A person hit by a bullet may lose blood very rapidly, and/or his vital organs may be damaged.
As a bullet penetrates a body, it starts to tear muscles, tissues & every other structure it speeds past. Non-elastic tissues tend to suffer more because they cannot recoil back like their elastic counterparts. When the bullet stops moving, a cavity forms at the point of injury, typically impossible to repair. The wound becomes susceptible to infection & blood loss is propagated. To make things worse, the bullet may leave on the opposite part of its entry point.
The A, B, C, D, E of Treating Gunshot Wound in an Emergency
In an emergency, you may have to treat your shot friend, or relative if the incident happens where expert medical care is impossible to reach. Remember that a gunshot wound has to be treated on time to avoid further complications.
While I understand that it can be very difficult to handle this treatment, especially if you’ve never done it, you need to understand now that it is even more difficult to live with yourself if your friend passes away from a gunshot wound because you’re jittery & unable to do anything helpful.
So, should a friend ever get shot while you two are in a very remote location, don’t bother carrying him except if you’re Barry Allen. You can’t be that anyway: you have to be his nurse & savior now.
The first five steps to take are called A, B, C, D, E, and each is an acronym for the necessary considerations to make.
Here we go.
A for Airway
The airway has to be the first thing to check. The purpose is to find out if the victim can still breathe. If he or she is conscious, does not appear to struggle with breathing & can talk, then the airway passage has no issue.
However, if the person is unconscious, you’ll have to evaluate them to know if they can breathe. To start, look into the person’s mouth to see if there’s any item in their throat. Often, this causes the victim to swallow their tongue, which will lead to suffocation if not immediately addressed. If the tongue is in its position, check if there’s any accumulated blood clot in the throat.
If there is, turn them around, so the clot leaks out or use a piece of cloth to mop it up.
B for Breathing
If you’re able to successfully check the victim’s airways for obstructions, there’s a good chance you’ve already handled this step. For example, an unconscious person, despite having no blockage in their passageway, is most likely not breathing. You may need to perform a cardiopulmonary resuscitation to get them back breathing.
A good way to check for breathing is the movement of the chest. Is it rising or falling? Take note of the unusual breathing character the person is exhibiting, too, even if they are conscious & speaking.
C for Circulation
This step involves blood circulation & the extent the bullet has caused blood loss. This necessitates applying pressure on the wound to minimize blood loss.
While at this, check the victim’s pulse regularly, whether through the throat or wrist. You’d still have to perform CPR if the victim is unconscious.
D for Deformity/Disability
This is very critical before you move the victim. This implies that a gunshot victim who’s suffered a disability in the spinal cord should not be moved inappropriately because doing so will most likely make their situation worse, such that they may be permanently disabled.
On the other hand, deformity suggests a strange alignment of the other body parts, such as the limbs & joints. Moving a person who’s deformed the wrong way will potentially make them remain deformed for life.
The only movement to make when the victim is deformed or disabled to help them breathe. That’s important.
Exposure
It is necessary to find the points of bullet entry into the body to ascertain if there are exit wounds. This includes checking areas that are typically difficult to reach, the armpit, for example.
Note that it is inadvisable to undress them completely as this may trigger shock.
Final Lines on Treating a Gunshot Wound
Treating a gunshot wound successfully lies on the knowledge you have beforehand, as much as it does on your ability to maintain calm in the face of spurting veins & shattered bones. The five steps highlighted above are basically the first to know, but there is a lot more to know when treating a gunshot wound. Bookmark this thread for the continuation of this topic.