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Shotgun Wound Recovery

If you are the victim of a shotgun accident you should consider yourself lucky to be alive. Treating your wound is essential to the recovery process and preventing infection and further damage.

  1. Go to the Hospital

    • You will need to get all of the pellets from the shotgun out of your body. You will also need to have your internal organs and vitals checked. Vitals include level of responsiveness, heart rate, respiratory rate, skin color, blood pressure, pupil response, and temperature. If there is internal bleeding, the hospital is the best place to be for treatment.

    Puncture Wound Treatment

    • Do not remove the object that has punctured your skin, as it may cause more harm if you do not have medical attention. If the incident has just happened, cover the wound and apply pressure to prevent continued blood loss. If a bandage is soaked with blood, simply put another bandage on top of it rather than trying to remove it and putting on a clean bandage. If bleeding has stopped, flush the wound with lots of water. Make sure the water is purified and clean. If you have soap, wash around the wound, but do not put any soap directly on the wound.

    Antibiotic Ointment

    • After going to the hospital, use antibiotic ointment to help the wound heal. If the wound is deep enough, it will heal from the inside out. Keep it clean so that it does not get infected.

    Preventing Infection

    • The main part of recovering from a shotgun wound is preventing infection. You must wash the wounds regularly. Put sterile bandages over the wounds, securing the bandage with tape on all sides. Any drainage or pus should be cleaned daily in order to help prevent infection. Signs and symptoms of infection includes redness extending beyond 1/4 inch from the wounds, tenderness and mild swelling.

    Severe Infection

    • If you encounter a severe infection, you will need immediate medical attention. Signs and symptoms of severe infection include discoloration and pain around the wound, increased pus formation, red streaks pointing from the wounds to the lymph nodes, swollen lymph nodes, fever and shock.

    Skin wounds and broken bones

    • Peripheral injuries from shotgun wounds can range from broken bones to puncture holes in the skin. Broken bones may take anywhere from three to six months to recover from, depending on the surgeon's skill and which bone was broken. Depending on the severity of tissue damage, puncture wounds can take six weeks to several months to heal. Much of the recovery process depends on the health of the individual who was shot.

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