Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCall 911Stop the BleedingDon’t Elevate LegsWound LocationUnderstand Bullet WoundsRecoveryComplications

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Call 911

Stop the Bleeding

Don’t Elevate Legs

Wound Location

Understand Bullet Wounds

Recovery

Complications

Most likely, you’ll never have to deal with a gunshot wound. Someparamedicseven go their whole careers without treating one.

Treatment and recovery for a gunshot wound depend on the size of the bullet, where the bullet enters your body, and how soon you seek medical care. Prompt medical attention often prevents a gunshot wound from becoming deadly.

This article walks you through what to do and how to handle gunshot wounds in different parts of the body.

An illustration of a person applying pressure to a gunshot wound of a victim in the recovery position.

If you or someone around you is shot, these three steps are vital:

Getting to a hospital quickly gives the victim the best odds of surviving a bullet wound. Ideally, the injured person should be in an ambulance within 10 minutes of being shot.

What to Know Before Calling 911 on a Cell Phone

Stopping the bleedingis a crucial part of managing a gunshot wound.You can do that with:

Improvised tourniquets often fail. If you don’t have a professional version, focus on strong pressure. Really lean into it.

Never give a person who’s been shot anything to eat or drink, including water.

In general, you shouldn’t elevate a gunshot victim’s legs.That can make abdominal and chest wounds bleed more quickly. It might also make it harder for the person to breathe.

Gunshot wounds arepuncture wounds. Don’t expect to be able to tell the difference between entrance and exit wounds.

It’s a myth that one type is significantly worse than the other. There’s no reliable way to tell and it actually doesn’t matter.

Someone with a gunshot wound might have substantial internal injuries. That can lead to breathing difficulties, low blood pressure, and heart issues.Begin CPRif they’re not breathing.

It helps to have some information about wounds in specific areas.

Do bullet wounds need stitches?Uncomplicated gunshot wounds are often left open since this leaves them less susceptible to infection. Instead of being stitched closed, they may simply be covered with a sterile dressing and allowed to heal on their own. Some gunshot wounds may be closed at a later time.

Do bullet wounds need stitches?

Uncomplicated gunshot wounds are often left open since this leaves them less susceptible to infection. Instead of being stitched closed, they may simply be covered with a sterile dressing and allowed to heal on their own. Some gunshot wounds may be closed at a later time.

Chest Injuries

Chest wounds can injure the heart, lungs, and/or aorta (the major artery leaving the heart). This could be deadly.

Some gunshot wounds to the chest aresucking chest wounds. These allow air to enter the chest.

To treat a chest wound, seal the wound with some type of plastic to keep air from being sucked in.This helps prevent a collapsed lung.

If shortness of breath gets worse after you seal the wound, remove the seal.

Abdominal Injuries

A gunshot wound to the abdomen can cause:

Be sure to hold pressure on it. A wound that punctures the stomach or intestines can lead to an infection. That’s due to gastrointestinal fluid or feces leaking into the abdominal cavity.

You might notice rapid swelling of the abdomen. That can happen even with a relatively small puncture wound.

Emergency surgery is generally necessary with abdominal bullet wounds.

Limb Injuries

A gunshot to a limb is likely to cause a vascular (blood vessel) injury. It may cause nerve damage or break bones, as well.

Neck Injuries

A gunshot wound to the spine can cause paralysis. A wound to the front of the neck can damage the carotid artery. That may prevent blood from reaching the brain.

If someone’s shot in the front of the neck, hold pressure to prevent bleeding.

Learn Life-Saving First Aid Procedures

Understanding Bullet Wounds

Gunshot wounds are not straightforward. They can cause injuries beyond the visible puncture site.

Bullets can also bounce around inside your body. A bullet can remain in the body, or it can exit after doing substantial damage.

All of these are important. But bullet speed is the most significant factor when it comes to the amount of damage.

Rifles, for example, produce significantly faster-velocity projectiles than handguns. Thus, they tend to cause more severe injuries.

Some bullets contain materials that can degrade inside the body. Surgical removal is often urgent. But it must be done carefully to avoid further damage.

Recovering From a Gunshot Wound

Bullets can cause a range of different types of injury from minor to severe. The location of the injury, the size of the bullet, your overall health, and how soon after the injury you received medical attention can affect how long it takes for your bullet wound to fully heal.

A simple injury that does not damage organs or cause a fracture may heal in as little as 10 days.More complicated injuries can take much longer to heal. As you recover physically, you may also experience mental health-related problems such as anxiety, nightmares, poor appetite, and emotional distress. If these are severe or persistent, contact your healthcare provider.

Gunshot injuries may cause complications such as:

Bullets and bullet fragments aren’t always removed after a gunshot injury. This is because removing the bullet can lead to additional tissue damage, infection, bleeding, and other serious complications.

If the bullet is not removed, there is an increased risk for later problems such as arthritis, lead toxicity, or bullet migration, though these are not common. Some people with a retained bullet may have it removed at a later time, but it is not always necessary.

Summary

If someone is shot:

For sucking chest wounds,seal the hole. Avoid moving wounded limbs. Never move someone with gunshot wounds to the neck or back.

Faster bullet speed means significantly more damage. Some materials may degrade, making surgical removal necessary.

The 7 Best First Aid Kits

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Franke A, Bieler D, Friemert B, Schwab R, Kollig E, Güsgen C.The first aid and hospital treatment of gunshot and blast injuries.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):237–243. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0237National Association of State EMS Officials.National model EMS clinical guidelines.Baum GR, Baum JT, Hayward D, MacKay BJ.Gunshot wounds: Ballistics, pathology, and treatment recommendations, with a focus on retained bullets.Orthop Res Rev. 2022;14:293-317. doi:10.2147/ORR.S378278Kuhajda I, Zarogoulidis K, Kougioumtzi I, et al.Penetrating trauma.J Thorac Dis. 2014;6(Suppl 4):S461–S465. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2014.08.51Arul GS, Sonka BJ, Lundy JB, Rickard RF, Jeffery SL.Management of complex abdominal wall defects associated with penetrating abdominal trauma.J R Army Med Corps.2015 Mar;161(1):46-52. doi:10.1136/jramc-2014-000276The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.Discharge instructions for wound cares.National Library of Medicine.Gunshot wounds - aftercare.Divakar P, Zelones JT, Rosen J.Sciatic nerve injury after gunshot wound: A role for fat grafting. ASPN Annual Meeting. 2018.

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Franke A, Bieler D, Friemert B, Schwab R, Kollig E, Güsgen C.The first aid and hospital treatment of gunshot and blast injuries.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):237–243. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0237National Association of State EMS Officials.National model EMS clinical guidelines.Baum GR, Baum JT, Hayward D, MacKay BJ.Gunshot wounds: Ballistics, pathology, and treatment recommendations, with a focus on retained bullets.Orthop Res Rev. 2022;14:293-317. doi:10.2147/ORR.S378278Kuhajda I, Zarogoulidis K, Kougioumtzi I, et al.Penetrating trauma.J Thorac Dis. 2014;6(Suppl 4):S461–S465. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2014.08.51Arul GS, Sonka BJ, Lundy JB, Rickard RF, Jeffery SL.Management of complex abdominal wall defects associated with penetrating abdominal trauma.J R Army Med Corps.2015 Mar;161(1):46-52. doi:10.1136/jramc-2014-000276The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.Discharge instructions for wound cares.National Library of Medicine.Gunshot wounds - aftercare.Divakar P, Zelones JT, Rosen J.Sciatic nerve injury after gunshot wound: A role for fat grafting. ASPN Annual Meeting. 2018.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Franke A, Bieler D, Friemert B, Schwab R, Kollig E, Güsgen C.The first aid and hospital treatment of gunshot and blast injuries.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):237–243. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0237National Association of State EMS Officials.National model EMS clinical guidelines.Baum GR, Baum JT, Hayward D, MacKay BJ.Gunshot wounds: Ballistics, pathology, and treatment recommendations, with a focus on retained bullets.Orthop Res Rev. 2022;14:293-317. doi:10.2147/ORR.S378278Kuhajda I, Zarogoulidis K, Kougioumtzi I, et al.Penetrating trauma.J Thorac Dis. 2014;6(Suppl 4):S461–S465. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2014.08.51Arul GS, Sonka BJ, Lundy JB, Rickard RF, Jeffery SL.Management of complex abdominal wall defects associated with penetrating abdominal trauma.J R Army Med Corps.2015 Mar;161(1):46-52. doi:10.1136/jramc-2014-000276The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.Discharge instructions for wound cares.National Library of Medicine.Gunshot wounds - aftercare.Divakar P, Zelones JT, Rosen J.Sciatic nerve injury after gunshot wound: A role for fat grafting. ASPN Annual Meeting. 2018.

Franke A, Bieler D, Friemert B, Schwab R, Kollig E, Güsgen C.The first aid and hospital treatment of gunshot and blast injuries.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017;114(14):237–243. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0237

National Association of State EMS Officials.National model EMS clinical guidelines.

Baum GR, Baum JT, Hayward D, MacKay BJ.Gunshot wounds: Ballistics, pathology, and treatment recommendations, with a focus on retained bullets.Orthop Res Rev. 2022;14:293-317. doi:10.2147/ORR.S378278

Kuhajda I, Zarogoulidis K, Kougioumtzi I, et al.Penetrating trauma.J Thorac Dis. 2014;6(Suppl 4):S461–S465. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2014.08.51

Arul GS, Sonka BJ, Lundy JB, Rickard RF, Jeffery SL.Management of complex abdominal wall defects associated with penetrating abdominal trauma.J R Army Med Corps.2015 Mar;161(1):46-52. doi:10.1136/jramc-2014-000276

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.Discharge instructions for wound cares.

National Library of Medicine.Gunshot wounds - aftercare.

Divakar P, Zelones JT, Rosen J.Sciatic nerve injury after gunshot wound: A role for fat grafting. ASPN Annual Meeting. 2018.

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?