Related Experiment Videos
Shotgun injuries in pediatric patients
E S Golladay1, K E Murphy, C W Wagner
1Department of Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.
Insights
Firearm injuries, especially from automatic weapons, affect increasingly young children in cities. Most pediatric gunshot wounds treated at Arkansas Children's Hospital could have been prevented with basic safety measures.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma
- Firearm Injury Prevention
- Public Health
Background:
- Firearm injuries are a significant concern in urban environments, affecting younger children.
- A notable number of pediatric gunshot wound cases are treated at specialized children's hospitals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the demographics and circumstances of pediatric firearm injuries admitted to Arkansas Children's Hospital.
- To identify common injury mechanisms and potential prevention strategies for child gunshot wounds.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric patients (ages 6-20) admitted with gunshot wounds over a 12-year period.
- Categorization of injuries by weapon type (air guns, handguns, shotguns) and incident circumstances.
Main Results:
- 32 children were admitted for gunshot wounds, with handguns being the most frequent cause.
- Shotgun injuries, primarily affecting young boys, often resulted from accidents or mistaken identity within the home.
- Injuries ranged from extremity wounds to severe multisystem damage, leading to long-term complications.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric firearm injuries, particularly from shotguns, frequently occur in domestic settings and are often preventable.
- Implementing common-sense safety measures and household firearm identification protocols can reduce these tragic incidents.
Abstract:
Firearms, particularly high-powered automatic weapons, injure progressively younger children in urban environments. At Arkansas Children's Hospital, 32 children have been admitted for gunshot wounds in 12 years. Air guns (3), handguns (19), and shotguns (10) caused the injuries. Shotgun wounds occurred during hunting accidents (2), flights from houses (3), and mistaken identity in the home (5), usually by family members (5). All victims of shotgun wounds were boys; seven were black. Their ages ranged from 6 to 20 years. Two injuries involved the abdomen, one the flank, one the chest, one the axilla, and five the legs. Accidental discharge of a weapon at close range caused extensive multisystem damage and long-term sequelae. Most of the wounds could have been avoided with the use of common sense and simple measures to identify the person within the household.