User:Mr. Ibrahem/Gunshot wound
Form of physical trauma sustained from the discharge of arms or munitions / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A gunshot wound (GSW) is physical trauma caused by a bullet from a firearm.[10][11] Damage may include bleeding, broken bones, organ damage, infection of the wound, or loss of the ability to move part of the body.[2] Damage depends on the part of the body hit, the path the bullet follows through the body, and the type and speed of the bullet.[11] Long-term complications can include lead poisoning and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[1][2][12]
Gunshot wound | |
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Other names | Gunshot injuries, ballistic trauma, bullet wound, firearm-related injuries |
Male skull showing bullet exit wound on parietal bone, 1950s. | |
Specialty | Trauma surgery |
Symptoms | Pain, deformity, bleeding[1][2] |
Complications | PTSD, lead poisoning, nerve injury[1][2][3] |
Causes | Guns |
Risk factors | Illegal drug trade, access to firearms, substance misuse including alcohol, mental health problems, firearm laws, social and economic differences[4][5] |
Prevention | Firearm laws, safer storage[6][7] |
Treatment | Trauma care[8] |
Frequency | 1 million (interpersonal violence in 2015)[9] |
Deaths | 251,000 (2016)[4] |
Factors that determine rates of firearm violence vary by country.[4] These factors may include the illegal drug trade, access to firearms, substance misuse including alcohol, mental health problems, firearm laws, and social and economic differences.[4][5] Where guns are more common, altercations more often end in death.[13]
Before management begins it should be verified the area is safe.[8] This is followed by stopping major bleeding, then assessing and supporting the airway, breathing, and circulation.[8] Firearm laws, particularly background checks and permit to purchase, decrease the risk of death from firearms.[6] Safer firearm storage may decrease the risk of firearm-related deaths in children.[7]
In 2015 about a million gunshot wounds occurred from interpersonal violence.[9] In 2016, firearms resulted in 251,000 deaths globally, up from 209,000 in 1990.[4] Of these deaths 161,000 (64%) were the result of assault, 67,500 (27%) were the result of suicide, and 23,000 (9%) were accidents.[4] In the United States, guns resulted in about 40,000 deaths in 2017.[14] Firearm-related deaths are most common in males between the ages of 20 to 24 years.[4] Economic costs due to gunshot wounds have been estimated at $US 140 billion a year in the United States.[15]