The most important part of surviving a gunshot wound is getting the
victim to proper medical attention as soon as possible. Chances of
survival improve the faster you get the victim in front of a doctor.
Only in a worst case scenario where medical help is not available should
you attempt to treat a firearm victim.
THE PHYSICS OF A FIREARM WOUND
The impact of a bullet/fragment depends on several factors include the
velocity, emergy transfer, and type of bullet. When a bullet impacts it
instantly decelerates and deforms (a flattening effect known as
"mushrooming". As the bullet decelerates on impact, the energy carried by the bullet is
transferred to the target -- the higher the energy transfer of the
bullet, the greater the damage.
TheMarksman.com
explains that
Hydrostatic shock radiates out from the bullet's path, causing a much
larger "temporary wound cavity" that accounts for a significant amount
of the soft tissue damage, while the bullet itself plows inward,
potentially breaking apart if it strikes bone. The temporary cavity
closes back after the bullet's passage, but significant damage, notably
to major blood vessels, may have been inflicted by the sudden stretching
and tearing involved in the hydrostatic displacement.
Bullets rotate, become defored, fragment, or deflect off bones. Some
bullets are designed to shatter or distintegrate on impact leaving
shrapnel in the body. More on bullet types
Wound from
velocity
energy transfer
injury characteristics
Hang guns
low
low
Injury results from direct effects along bullet track.
Rifle Shot
High
High
Wounds are messy -- bullets tumble [yaw] within the wound casuing greater damage -- see below.
Munition fragment
Low
Low
Small and numerous wounds, but poor penetration means injuries are limited to fragment track.
With high energy transfer wounds like those caused by shotguns, indirect effects are more important than direct effects. High energy transfer wounds generate injuries including:
+ cavitation
+ fractures, contusions, and lacerations away from the direct fragment tract
+ can result in small entry and exite wounds but large wound cavity
+ fragmentation of bullet and bones can cause secondary wound paths and further injury
+ negative pressure within cavity can suck in external environmental contaminents.
The information above does not constitute medical advice!! It is simply
an informational resource. Following the procedures laid out below may
result in injury or loss of life. By reading the content below, the
user agrees to:
to waive the rights to take action against the author;
to respect the rights of the author in the contents of this site; and,
to indemnify the author and his agents for any and all claims arising from
viewing this site.
Travel Insurance
People take varied holidays these days, so we've created a choice of travel insurance to help you get great value and cover for whatever you've got planned.
Single Trip Travel Insurance
We offer a range of travel insurance policies to enable you to get great value and cover for whatever you've got planned. If you are only taking one trip, then our single trip travel insurance may be just what you need.
Emergencies
Don't let any mishaps ruin a good holiday. Our holiday insurance covers you for all sorts of things including cancellations, medical bills, accidents, delayed flights, delayed baggage, legal costs and more.
Longer Trips
Planning that big trip of a lifetime? If it's over 185 days long and you're aged between 16 and 40, a worldwide travel insurance policy could be just what you need. The policy is valid for a full 365 days, and provides cover for cancellations before you travel.
Annual Cover
If you love to travel frequently, then annual travel insurance should be the first thing on your itinerary. You can buy multi trip insurance once and not give it another thought for the whole year.
Golf Cover
Our golf cover can be included in your single or multi trip travel insurance to cover you for loss, damage or theft of equipment and clothing. It's easy to add golf cover to your travel insurance, simply tick the relevant box when you get your travel insurance quote.
Winter Sports Cover
Our winter sports cover will ensure that your ski or snowboard equipment is covered. Simply add winter sports cover when you get a holiday insurance quote.
Unless otherwise specified, all pics, photographs, and graphics found on travel.mongabay.com are the property of mongabay.com. If you are interested in using a photo, image, picture, or graphic from the site, please contact mongabay.com. Also if you find errors or dead links on the site, please feel free to let me know.
