OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence and circumstances of nonfatal firearm-related injuries among children and adolescents treated in US emergency departments. DESIGN Data were obtained from the Firearm Injury Surveillance Study, 1993-1997; data were collected through medical record review at hospitals participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. SETTING The hospitals...

The morbidity, mortality, and economic cost attributable to handgun violence are staggering. Of the 192 million firearms in the United States, only one third are handguns. Yet, it is estimated that two-thirds of the more than one million Americans killed with a firearm in the past 30 years were killed with a handgun. The risk of death from homicide is threefold higher in homes where a firearm i...

In 1537, France was at war with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, for the third time. The French expedition into Piedmont went to relieve the siege of Turin and occupy territory whose title was disputed by François I, the French king. The commander of the French infantry sent into northern Italy was the Marshal de Montejan, and he was accompanied by a young French surgeon, Ambroise Paré. Paré ...

Firearm injuries caused by crime include those caused by interpersonal violence regardless of whether or not the victim was the intended target. Such injuries can be fatal (homicides) or nonfatal (assaults). As discussed on page 6, firearm homicide data from several good sources have been available for many years. Little data on nonfatal firearm injuries caused by crime were available until rec...

Low-velocity firearms represent the majority of civilian gunshot wounds to the hand, yet much of the literature is based on high-velocity injuries. The authors reviewed their treatment regimen for civilian gunshot wounds to the hand and offer a treatment algorithm that emphasizes early debridement and fracture stabilization. They also address the economic impact on society. The authors reviewed...

Audio recordings of gunshots exhibit acoustical properties that depend upon the geometry and acoustical characteristics of nearby reflecting surfaces and the relative orientation of the firearm with respect to the recording microphone. Prior empirical studies have demonstrated the basic principles of gunshot recordings near the firearm and near the target. This paper describes an experiment to ...

BACKGROUND Gun violence is on the rise in some European countries, however most of the literature on gunshot injuries pertains to military weaponry and is difficult to apply to civilians, due to dissimilarities in wound contamination and wounding potential of firearms and ammunition. Gunshot injuries in civilians have more focal injury patterns and should be considered distinct entities. METH...

For the purposes of audio forensics research we have obtained multi-channel acoustical recordings of gunshots under controlled conditions for several firearms. The recordings are made using an elevated platform and an elevated spatial array of microphones to provide quasi-anechoic directional recordings of the muzzle blast. The consistency and repeatability of gunshot sounds are relevant to man...

With the increased violence and use of firearms in Colombia, we may see more cases of lead poisoning in our environment, and must be prepared to diagnose and treat them. Subtle signs and symptoms as unexplained anemia, gastro-intestinal discomfort and abdominal cramps, as well as severe signs such as changes in behavior and neurological status, nephropathy, and unexplained death, may be associa...

BACKGROUND Firearms tends to be seen today as instrumental in injuries and deaths, including suicide. South Africa's gun law allows firearms to be licensed and legal, so in general they are not illegal weapons, even though many used in violence are illegal. This is a prime area in which multisectorial collaboration is needed in a country like South Africa. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study ...