GSW

You are called for a patient with a GSW to the leg. Once you arrive on scene, you rush to the patient. You notice the patient still dressed, with blood soaked pants. He is breathing at 20 times a minute, responsive, and has a strong pulse. You cut the clothes off, starting with the left leg, where most bleeding is coming from. Once the pant leg is cut off, you notice a whole, about the size of a penny, giver-r-take, with significant bleeding. No exit wound is noted. You apply a trauma dressing, which somewhat controls the bleeding. You continue with your rapid assessment, and notice a a laceration to the lower leg, bleeding is minimal, and an abrasion to the foot. You place the patient on a backboard with full spinal precautions. As you load the patient into the ambulance, he becomes pale, diaphoretic, and starting to come in and out of consciousness. You place the patient on a NRB at 15 LPM. Vital signs are showing that the patient is going into shock. As you start your second assessment, you notice that the trauma dressing is now saturated in blood, so you apply another trauma dressing. You continue to assess the patient and notice that he is going further into shock, and is harder to arouse. You transport the patient priority 1 to the closest appropriate facility.

You have a patient with a GSW to the thigh. You place one trauma dressing on the wound, but it is still hemorrhaging. You place another trauma dressing on their, and it is starting to become saturated as well. What do you think the bullet hit? (hint: it's something major).






The bullet hit the femoral artery.