Gunshot Trauma to Abdomen ....?

Please, help me out with a writing problem. This question is ideal for nurses and doctors who have had ER experience...

I'm writing a scene at the moment where a person has been shot in the abdomen. There is really no medical care available aside from a doctor's first aid kit.

What could be done for a person in these circumnstances?

What treatment would be provided 'in the field'?

What could be expected in the recovery?

If a person has a gun shot in the abdomen, must go minimum for X rays, lab and surgery since he has big chances to have holes in more than one organ.
Since that is not possible in your story, I suggest you some tricks to get out of the situation logically.
The first aid somebody receiving a gun shot out the civilized world is to get in touch with any emergency center.

Anyway, since I worked in the countryside for some years and yet in some countries to get urgent assistance is quite difficult, there goes my answer:
Lay down the wounded
1-First look at the gun hole: if a black area surrounds the hole, the shot have been very close: more chances to have a bigger damage. Try to get an ambulance assap. Big chances to have a dead person in hours, infection in days, cure with holes in the belly where feces, etc goes out daily- fistula- to stay for life in the past.
2-If the person is bleeding not too much, just put a compress, towel, anything over the wound and simply press - and pray - Antiseptics on the wound are as efficient as mineral water since the bacteria are inside the guts and in the path of the bullet, but are normally being used out of a reflex. Same possible consequences in the recovery as in number 1
3-If the person has pain but yet not too much bleeding, and the wound is located in an angle that can be determined with any -preferable - sterilized tool, then I would just try very gentle to follow the bullet path and -again pray - that had touched the bone, and then start searching the bullet under the skin. It happens and not infrequently when the distance of the shooter has been long. Mostly no further consequences. Never stitch a gun shot wound- gets immediately infected -
4-If the bullet is in the middle of the belly, no massive bleeding, and no further problems, just do nothing. Alternatively, it is mortal, or it will become infected, or it will survive with more or less consequences. Then going for the blood pressure - it can be used in all cases as well - would give an indirect idea of an internal bleeding or a shock.
If the blood pressure is getting lower, then is necessary to give intravenous fluids, blood by preference but not available. If no fluids or blood were available - very likely - then lifting both legs of the patient would temporarily help. High chances to have a dead person in a matter of minutes or hours. Same consequences as in number 1 and 2

If the blood pressure is stable, repeat the measuring once in a while and in the meantime waiting and leaving the wounded quiet would be enough.

Normally doctor's briefcases do not have solutions to give intravenous to supply water, since in no one case I would allow a person to eat with an abdominal wound in the wilderness.

If the doctor has the complete set, then the treatment would be:
1- Put an intravenous infusion
2- Put a tube in the nose
3- Call emergencies
4- If no help available for the next hours, give painkillers
5-If available, give antibiotics (preferable clindamicin)
6-If nothing available (more common situation) start with the first schedule above mentioned.

Do not fall in the common mistake of the western films: once the bullet is out, the person is cured. In the reality, the first thing that has to be done before surgery is to take X-rays. When the bullet is located in a critical or very dangerous place and no harm happened- to be seen during surgery - then the bullet can stay for life.

I hope this information would be helpful for you,
Fro.

Once it is established that he/she is breathing properly, apply a pressure bandage over the wound. If no bandage is available, use the cleanest part of clothing you can find. The INSIDE part of a shirt that is folded to thickness will work. Tie bandage in place using strips of clothing, or affix mutiple waist belts together if necessary. If he can stay in place for help to arrive, fold up knees into the air, loosen clothing ...treat for shock. Keep comfortable, keep conversant if possible...reassure.

Been there. Done that.
Gunny.

Problematic The stomach acid will kill the person fairly quickly.
Or the guts could push out the hole if lower.

Can't you shoot him in the shoulder instead??????

Assuming your first aid kit is like a medic's aid bag you can clean and dress the exterior wounds, start an IV for volume infusing, and make the person comfortable. Life or death depends on what organs the bullet passed thru. Any destruction of the intestines will be deadly do to infection. A path thru the solid organs can kill due to the bleeding. The major vessels of the abdomen could be injured causing death from bleeding. Infection will be your long term cause of death regardless of area hit, however. Recovery from a bullet to the guts is very very slim.