What kind of infection follows an untreated gunshot wound?

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Say a gunshot wound is delivered to the left shoulder. It is not deadly, but the bullet isn't removed until at least two weeks later with no treatment, medication or anything.

What kind of infections will happen, what symptoms will be there and what are the possible scenarios/treatments?
It depends on what bacteria contaminated the wound.

It's possible (although unlikely) that there would be no infection at all. If there is an infection, it will present with the usual symptoms: swelling, redness, and tenderness around the wound; foul discharge from the wound; fever, weakness, or other systemic symptoms; etc. Gunshot wounds, like puncture wounds, are vulnerable to anaerobic bacteria which cause infections like tetanus and botulism.

Treatment consists of appropriate antibiotics to kill the bacteria and supportive measures for the patient (hydration, pain relief, etc.).  (+ info)

Which is the fastest way to commit suicide, gunshot to the head or the heart?

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No I'm not planning on committing suicide so no dumb @ss answers however I have read horror stories of people shooting themselves in the head and still surviving...disfigured for life too.

So which would be faster and painless, gunshot to the head or to the heart?

And which gun is better a high powered hunting rifle or a shotgun?
You put a gun inside of your mouth and aim UP to hit the Cerebellum in the brain, which dictates primary involuntary functions (motor) of the body.. Many people make the mistake of shooting straight back, which only puts a hole in the back of your throat. It would probably be best to use a shotgun at close range to attain the most amount of irreparable damage, because shotgun pieces are very difficult to remove. Also, when people shoot themselves in the head, they may simply hit non-vital locations in the central part of the brain, like those that determine personality (front), senses (generally middle), etc. What usually causes the death in those cases is swelling and blood loss to the brain.. but if they don't die, they just succeed in destroying whatever they hit in the brain.

You may not die instantly if you shoot yourself in the heart. You may 1. miss, 2. graze it, 3. simply impair it. There are many variations and indefinite outcomes.

A pistol through the mouth at a 45 degree angle up would be best for an insta-kill. (I say pistol because it would be quite difficult to shoot yourself with a shotgun)  (+ info)

How quick would death be if a person suffered a gunshot wound to the occipital lobe of their brain?

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I need to know how quick death would be for a person who suffers a gunshot wound to their occipital lobe (brain) (with no medical attention) for a research project.
Most gunshot wounds (or other penetrating trauma) to the brain cavity result in either instant or rapid death - though there are rare exceptions.

(By rapid, I mean within seconds or minutes - often regardless of advanced medical and surgical intervention.)  (+ info)

How bad can period pain be? I mean, compared to serious stomachache or the pain caused by a gunshot?

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What I mean is any kind of pain from which you just don't get any relief. I mean, my period pains are so strong that I scream, cry, sweat a lot, feel sick and sometimes throw up. I've also had severe stomachache once (but not anymore), and seriously I can't tell which is worse. What is it compared to the pain caused by a gunshot? Can it be compared?
Seriously,the pain can be horrible. I get extreme pain, cramping, sweats, chills, nausea, and usually have to take off work one day a month (which is a real pain in the @ss). I got checked for fibroids and wound up having a small one...you should prob get checked out to see if you have them. Whether you want to go or not, your gyno is probably gonna be the one who tells you whats going on with your period, so you should go make an appt with them.  (+ info)

How long do you have to stay at physical therapy after recovering from a gunshot wound?

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Let's say the gunshot wound was at any of your two knee joints and you had some operations done to it. How long do you have to stay at physical therapy after that? what do you have to do during each session?
how many months?
You have to consider A LOT of factors like the age of the patient, their overall health after the GSW (rates of infection from an open wound), how healthy they were before the GSW (are they diabetic, a smoker, depressed), the path of the bullet (bones broken, tissue damaged, bones fragmented secondary to the GSW), how much they weigh, is the patient doing well at PT (phys therapy), are they getting out of bed when they can, are they eating well, peeing well,are their vitals stable? What about their psychological abilities as well. How are they coping with the GSW? Do they have support? Are they homeless? Are they a child? Has someone in their family ever been shot? All of these factors relate to their speed of recovery and when they will be discharged from the hospital. Also, what kind of insurance do they have? Some are forced out after only a few days.
GENERALLY speaking...and I DO MEAN generally, for a healthy male ages 18-25:
GSW to shoulder with shattered humerus and clavicle, healing time:
Skin wound--3-6 months depending on the skill of the surgeon when repairing bone trauma from bullet
bone healing--3-6 months
Sling--3 months
Discharge from hospital--10-14 days, barring no complications like blood loss, infection, satisfactory bloodwork,etc.
GSW to lower extremity is GREATLY different. One patient I had--his femur was completely shattered and needed traction (oh...don't even go there. Not enough space to write about traction and weights) That patient ended up dying from a massive infection in the bone from infected pin sites.
Alright, alright--uhhhh, say:
Wound healing: 3-6 months barring any infection and skill of surgeon when repairing the bone and underlying tissues
Discharge: 1-2 weeks
Cane use: Possibly for life  (+ info)

How would stab wounds to the hands be treated in a hospital?

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Hey, so I was wondering (For something I'm writing) how stab wounds to a persons hands would be likely to be treated in a hospital? Stitches? Um...Staples?

Oh and also I need to know what would happen if (After the treatment) the wounds were to re-open? Would there a need for more stitches or something?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! :)
depends on the depth of the wounds, if deep enough, then stitches, they shouldn't re-open, but if they did need re stitching. If wounds slight then they can be glued together with special surgical glue, or the use of special strip plasters.  (+ info)

What can you do to prevent burn wounds from leaving scars?

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My mom was baking last weekend and burned her arm pretty bad. The skill swelled up then burst open and tore off now she has 2 open cuts. She wants to know if there's anything she can do to prevent scarring after the wounds heal?
Mederma 3-4 times a day for until the scar fades mostly away. I think it's around 8 weeks for new scars that are treated promptly, and 3-6 months for old scars.  (+ info)

At what age do you reach when wounds begin to take longer to heal?

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I bruised my knee just recently, and four days later the bruise and sensations associated with it were still present. This is unusual - Normally it would take two days, and I would no longer notice the wound is there.

I am 27 years old and in good health.

1) Could this have anything to do with me being older now? Or is it most probable that the bruise was just worse than previous bruises I have had.

2) On average, at what age do you think we can reach before wounds begin to take noticeably longer to heal?
1) it's probably just worse, when ur a baby u grow 10x< faster, so technically after ur not a baby anymore, but if u mean like as an adult, i think maybe 45 or 50
2)i answered that in number 1, but anyways, 45 or 50  (+ info)

How long does it take for a gunshot wound to heal?

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How long would it take for a gunshot wound to the area around the right shoulder/chest a little below the collar bone take to heal?
It all depends. I have been shot three times and one of those shots was with a sniper rifle through the back of my right clavicle (shoulder muscle) besides shattering the bone, tearing tissue, then recovery after surgery to get the shoulder working again, took me three months, before I was put back on the active roster. I was in shape and it has to penetrate a lot of muscle tissue and the doctor said that put a damper on extent of shoulder damage. If you get shot with a handgun, they fire smaller cartridges so smaller hole, long distance less damage, less penetration, so maybe a two weeks to a month depending on the distance. WHY?
Gunshot wounds are unpredictable puncture wounds that cause major tissue damage. Three factors work together to determine the severity of a gunshot wound.
Location of the injury
1.Size of the projectile
2.Speed of the projectile
3.Changing the speed of the bullet makes the most difference to the amount of damage done by the round. Basically, bigger guns make bigger holes.  (+ info)

What is the best product out there to use on wounds after a motorcycle accident?

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My husband's wounds have scabbed over and are starting to come off, what type of cream should we use to promote the healing and lessen the scarring?
While scarring is bad, you want to put on triple antibiotic cream first, and then the scar healing. Now, when the wounds do heal, use the Maderma brand. For me, I have aa condition called kiloid where my scars over heal. Maderma works really well for me.  (+ info)

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