How to help someone with a gunshot wound

Janice Flahiff

May 1

Gun violence is increasing here in the USA. It is not bad where I live. But I am being prepared to help anyone who is wounded by gunfire. It can happen anytime, any place....

Some schools here in the USA have "Stop the Bleed" sessions as part of their health classes. Sad, but increasingly necessary...

Excerpts from the 28 April 2022 MedicalXPress article

Time is of the essence in such situations. It can take as little as five minutes for a person with a life-threatening injury to bleed to death. Much like CPR, basic bleeding control techniques could help save a life in the event of an emergency.

These tips will help not only in gunshot incidents but other scenarios as car accidents.

Alert authorities

The first thing to do when a shooting or serious accident occurs is to alert the authorities as soon as possible.
"run, hide, fight" approach in an active shooter situation. Flee the area if you can and call 911 once you're safe. If you can't run, get out of the shooter's view and remain quiet. As a last resort, and only if you're in immediate danger, try to stop the shooter.

"Hold two hands together, lock your elbows and put all of your weight onto the wound to try to stop that bleeding," he said. Though it seems simple, he said this can be challenging because people think they might further hurt the person who's injured.

"If it's truly life-threatening bleeding, standing by and waiting is not enough," he said. "You may have to hurt in order to help."

Keep applying pressure until the bleeding has subsided. If the bleeding hasn't stopped, that's a sign that you should apply more pressure, he said. While it may be physically painful for the wounded person, you're unlikely to cause an injury just by applying pressure. When medics arrive at the scene, they'll administer pain medication to those injured.

Bystanders may also be squeamish about coming into contact with someone else's blood, but it is not dangerous unless you have open wounds yourself. Dr. Neal said there's little risk of getting a blood-borne illness, such as hepatitis or HIV, from someone lse if your skin is intact.

Use a tourniquet

For injuries that occur to the arms or the legs, a tourniquet can be very effective at stopping bleeding.

"A tourniquet stops blood flow to the limb and it squeezes the blood vessels so that it eliminates blood flow to the area where the wound is," said Dr. Neal.

The goal is to place it above the wound, as high up on the arm or leg as possible. It can be placed on top of clothing but should be at least a few inches from the wound. A tourniquet should not be applied over a joint.

To use a tourniquet, wrap it tightly around the limb and tighten it as much as possible. Then, twist the windlass rod in one direction to increase pressure and secure the rod so it doesn't come undone. A tourniquet is likely to be painful, but it can help stop life-threatening bleeding. Leave the tourniquet on until medical personnel arrive.

Pack the wound

For wounds to the armpit and groin, packing is another useful bleeding control tactic. Open or remove the clothing over the wound, then stuff the wound with gauze, a clean towel or whatever fabric might be available nearby. Whatever you use, the fabric needs to come in direct contact with bleeding, said Dr. Neal.

Once you've packed it as tightly as you can, push down on the wound as hard as you can using both hands. If the packing material becomes soaked and the wound is still bleeding, replace it with new material. If the bleeding is controlled, do not remove the soaked material. Keep holding pressure on the wound until medical responders arrive.