Shootings: What EMS Providers Need to Know
Firearm-related injuries continue to be a significant public health problem, accounting for almost 20% of injury-related deaths in the United States.
From January 1993 to December 1998, an estimated 115,000 firearm-related injuries occurred annually in the U.S. Males were seven times more likely to die or be treated in emergency departments for gunshot wounds than females. In 2006 more than 30,000 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States.
Gunshot wounds to the head are the most lethal of all firearm injuries. It is estimated they have a fatality rate greater than 90%. Those to the myocardium have fatality rates reaching 80%. Intra-abdominal injuries from gunshot wounds tend to involve the small bowel (50%), colon (40%), liver (30%) and abdominal vascular structures (25%).
PENETRATING MOI
Gunshot wounds involve the transfer of energy to a target. The damage that occurs is directly related to the amount of energy exchanged between the penetrating...