FIRST AID FOR GUNSHOT WOUNDS (GSW)
In our life time we might never have to contend with a situation were we have to provide help to a gunshot victim, but what about if it happens!? Are we going to be unable to help prevent a preventable death? Be prepared. Knowledge is power. Gunshot wounds (GSW)- (wounds sustained from bullets fired from a gun), can be fatal depending on- 1) Part of body affected 2) Organ(s) affected 3) How long it takes to get adequate medical help Now this means that not all GSW are fatal or have to be fatal, sometimes fatality from GSW is preventable. The causes of preventable deaths from GSW are: 1) Compromise of the airway system 2) Tension pneumothorax (air in the chest cavity, that can’t go out which causes the lungs to collapse) 3) Severe bleeding. Surviving a gunshot wound depends greatly on how quickly a patient gets to a hospital. Ideally, a GSW patient should be on the way to a hospital in an ambulance within 10 minutes of being shot. There