I have a question.  I was thinking the other day , What would i do if I had to deal with a gunshot wound, quite frankly I would'nt have a clue.  I have seen a couple of close calls due to people not following correct procedure with handling firearms while hunting.  Im thinking if I am in the bush, possibly in a remote location and have to tend to something like this.  I usually only carry some iodine and a small ,bandage and stitch kit. 

Has anyone deal with this before and can offer some advice or guidance?

 

Cheers

Kiwi

Ned, I was shot three times and took frag up my right side. I have more metal in me than a box of BB's. So, Yes I have dealt with it, personally with myself and others being shot (and other types of injurys) as well. To answer your question correctly would take a while. It depends on where the individual has been shot, location of individual when shot and how close you are to getting to a hospital. Frankly, you need to be more afraid of a knife wound than a bullet wound. If you are shot but not in a vital organ or hitting an artery, you will pretty much be ok as long as you stop the bleeding and immobilize the wound (to prevent further possible damage) and keep it clean!!!! You can die from bacteria more easily than most things. Keeping a wound, any type of would clean is absolutely vital! If you are out in the bush and a bullet takes out something major, say the femoral artery, you can pretty much kiss your butt goodbye and start praying. If you get shot in the heart, of course your dead. Shot in the gut, you can survive as long as you don't bleed out, and you have more of a chance of bleeding to death internally than out. You can stop the blood from coming out, but you can't do anything about it inside without the proper training and equipment. If you get shot in the chest, you suffer the chance of your lung collapsing (one of the things that happened to me). If this happens you can take a hypodermic needle and peirce the lung above the wound, close the wound and then pull the inside of the needle out to release the pressure. Very crude but it works to keep someone alive. A bullet to the arm or the leg (non-arterial hit) will be ok. Just apply direct pressure and bandage. Try to keep the bandages from getting over soaked with blood because it's going to bleed for a little while. You need to make sure you wrap it tight but not so tight it cuts off the circulation. Never ever ever ever ever ever NEVER apply a torniqet unless it is absolutely the last resort and once it is applied do not release it. The blood can clot and cause a heart attack. I don't have to say this one but oh well: If you get a direct hit in the head, then you are definately dead and don't worry about first aid because you won't even know what happened.

 

I probably didn't answer your question due to over saturation of alchohol in the blood stream right now so I will read this again when I am sober and see what I left out.

Oh yeah, the best way to treat a gunshot wound is to not get shot to begin with (yeah I know, smartass).

 

Darth

Hey Darth

Thanks for your insights , good luck getting through metal detection.    Im readin your vibe on the blood thing, lots of it...bad sh*t.  Same as shootin an animal i suppose.  Every season here on the deer roar there is at least 6-10 guys get shot up.  Most times I hear 'em in the bush, guys that is, usually at the start of the season and they are ready to shoot anything that moves.  The biggest risk is if you are carrying a deer out on you back and you get sighted by some trigger happy goon when ya are in thick bush. 

 

Thanks for the reply , good info for me Darth..cheers!