-
calidris replied to the topic Research of less-than-desirable topics (wounds, wound complications, etc.) in the forum Fantasy Writers 3 years, 10 months ago
Hello! I have a few questions regarding gunshot wounds
I have a character who’s going to be gunned down in an act of revenge, and I’m trying to balance that fine line between drama and realism.
For a little bit of context, this is set in a fictional Cold War setting, so medical technology, ambulances, telephones, etc. are all present. This country is dabbling with advanced medicine and medical technologies (particularly genetic modification – the creation of super-soldiers is an extremely significant plot point), so I think it’s safe to say that its medical system is probably pretty advanced as well.
I need there to be a significant amount of blood loss – it’s going to thoroughly ruin his suit (important for symbolic reasons). I’m thinking he was hit in the chest or abdomen, but obviously that’s going to result in some pretty severe blood loss and he needs to survive. I imagine multiple wounds, but again, I don’t know how realistic that would be. This was a surprise attack, so I don’t think adrenaline would play a huge role in his response. What would it feel like? How quickly would he go into shock? Is there any way that I can have him coughing up blood without giving him too slim of a chance for survival?
What would the first aid look like? He’s going to be rescued, but I’m not sure how much his defender would realistically know about first aid. She’s the type to absorb seemingly interesting and useful information, though, and she has a friend with extensive military background (an escaped super-soldier), so I think it could be realistic to assume that she might have picked something up throughout the course of the book. What are some easy first aid skills that she might be aware of? They’re in a position where he can be taken to a hospital, but how would he hang on until then?
I need his pants to be ruined, too, so I think he’s probably going to end up with a stray shot in his leg. How would this be treated?
His attacker is subsequently going to be shot in the head – how could he survive this? I need him to survive so he can face the consequences of his (many) earthly crimes XD
Also since his attacker is in such an angry and irrational state, would adrenaline have an impact on his own response to being shot?










