I'm writing a short story on a man being treated for gunshot wounds and I'm curious how exactly the process goes from the person going into the ER until their death or survival?
Don't tell @GingerCoffee I recommended she comment on this. But I've always found her input credible with this kind of subject matter.
In the UK hospitals have a clinical advisor stationed at the door. Hopeless cases go left side to volunteers, tea, sympathy. Salvation goes right on the trolley - toward pretty boys, surgeon types you see on TV.
Any serious trauma is going to begin with a heart monitor, blood pressure, and pulse ox monitor. Someone is going to "Start a line" - which essentially means they will stick a needle (usually in the arm) and start fluids running. D5 / 0.45% NSS is the standard starting fluid. Some docs will include 20meq of KCl in with it. Or will use something called Lactated Ringers. That line of running fluid provides volume to replace lost blood and a place to add additional medication. Whole blood will start if there's enough blood loss after they determine the patient's blood type and ensure they aren't a Jevoha's Witness. ETA: They will also take a blood sample to determine a variety of blood chemistry. And some form of oxygen will be given. At some point, a trauma specialist will show up & work on the wound. If the patient starts to crash, they will begin the usual code procedure ... You can look up whatever the ACLS procedure they've decided to change it to this week by googling ACLS.
Could you be more specific. Where is the wound and what type of bullet? This is relevant to know weather or not they would survive. Ball ammo, would make a fairly clean hole through the person. Hollow points mushroom out on impact tearing more of the surrounding tissue as it travels. Then there is RIP ammo that has a particularly nasty cavitation signature when it enters soft tissue. The petals spread after breaking from the main body of the bullet, and the main body is a hollow point. Not exactly going to make easy work of recovering depending on where you get shot. Though if it is a Military situation, you are most likely going to only see Ball ammunition used. So it is difficult to really be helpful without first knowing what and where for this type of injury.
I bought an informational book when I was writing my own story that involved a gunshot wound. The book was excellent—although not much help to me as it uses modern medical techniques to treat the patient, while my story is set in 1886. However, it might be handy for you, if it's still available. It's part of the "Howdunit Series," and it's entitled Body Trauma: a writer's guide to wounds and injuries. It's written by David W Page, MD, published by Writers' Digest books. Ah, just looked it up. It's very available, and while this is the version I bought, there seems to be an updated version available as well:
