A Non-Surgery-Worthy Gunshot Wound/Likely Hospital Conduct

[inmh]

Okay. So, in my story, a person gets shot with a Glock 19; it's not a direct shot, and the person doing the shooting is... Let's say fifteen feet away. They're trying to shoot the character, but can't really see her (It's night, and kind of foggy) so really, it's a lucky shot. It takes place in Maine (fictional town) in 2011, and she gets to the

Comments

[lilacsigil]

Fifteen feet away is not very far. If you want a bone fracture, could you have the shot richochet off a wall and hit her? Otherwise, a clean shot through the muscle of the arm? If she has stitches, they're likely to put her in a sling for a few days to avoid tearing them.

[inmh]

I could certainly do that, yes; I actually considered that as a possibility, but wasn't certain how it would work out. Thank you for your help! :D

[lostenergy]

She can leave against medical discharge which would probably take half an hour's worth of documentation, clearance and interruptions. If she gets the all clear from a doctor, discharge process would depend on how long it'll take for her to settle her bill and documents, for the take home meds to arrive, etc.. In my experience, once an order gets through, an hour is enough or more.

[inmh]

Thank you! That's actually perfect for the scenario I'm considering!

[surgicalsteel]

If the sling's not necessary, I'd go for having them shot in the butt. Almost every patient I ever saw who was shot there was discharged within a few hours of coming into the ER.

The shoulder's way trickier. Major neurovascular structures live in that vicinity. If you're looking to get your fictional patient in and out of the hospital ASAP, I'd avoid it.

[inmh]

I actually never thought of the butt. At the same time, the story's a little dark, and I have a feeling people might start snickering if I had her shot in the butt (not to say that those injuries aren't serious, but I've almost always seen butt-related injuries in humorous plotlines).

Thank you for your help! :D

[anonymous]

I'm definitely in agreement with the person who said that 15 feet is not very far away, especially if you want to avoid major damage. The shoulder is tricky, too - the subclavian artery lies just below the collarbone (hence the name), and the shoulder itself is a very complicated ball-and-socket joint full of delicate nerves and other things that most definitely require surgery to put back together.

I'd suggest a wound to the outside of the shoulder - really the meat of the upper arm. A deep graze that takes a chunk out of the deltoid muscle without hitting bone/ligaments/tendons/etc likely wouldn't require surgery, and she might end up in a sling from it.

[inmh]

That sounds good! A lot of the sources mentioned that bone damage is a bad way to go if you don't want an injury to be serious, so I can certainly make the shoulder hit work. Thank you for your help!

[anonymous]

You're welcome! Just be aware that the doctors/other medical professionals aren't going to call it a shoulder wound. To laymen that area is the shoulder, but technically it's part of the arm.

[inmh]

Thank you for that tidbit too; I'll make sure not to make that mistake when I write this out. Thank you again! :D

[hematitebadger]

It takes place in Maine (fictional town) in 2011

I can't resist asking: Storybrooke or Haven?

[inmh]

Silent Hill, actually. :)

[hematitebadger]

Heh. There are far too many weird little fictional towns in Maine, aren't there? And only one of those three is Stephen King's fault!