Gun injuries more often fatal now, study finds

Injuries from senseless gun violence -- like those witnessed in Orlando on Sunday morning -- may be increasing in severity in ERs across the United States, a new study suggests.
"Americans mourn firearm-related fatalities every day," said lead researcher Dr. Angela Sauaia, a professor of public health and surgery at the University of Colorado, in Denver. "Mass shootings are just the tip of the iceberg of the daily tragedy witnessed by trauma surgeons in emergency rooms," she added.
Much of that trauma can be traced to increasingly powerful firearms, such as the assault rifle used in the weekend massacre at the Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded, experts say.
Sauaia's study was based on nearly 29,000 patients who came to the trauma center at the Denver Health Medical Center from 2000 to 2013. Just under 6 percent arrived with gunshot wounds. Among those who had been shot, the number of deaths increased significantly, as did the severity of their wounds.
While technology and education are helping to make cars and bicycles safer, "firearms are moving in the exact opposite direction," Sauaia said. "They are becoming progressively more dangerous."
If you are in a car crash today, you are more likely to survive than you were 10 years ago due to safer cars and improvements in trauma care, Sauaia noted.
"However, if you get shot today, you are more likely to die than if you were shot 10 years ago, despite our excellent trauma care," she said. "Firearm injuries are becoming more lethal due to an increased number and severity of wounds they inflict." The data comes from only one trauma center, so the findings can't be generalized, she said. However, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 34,000 Americans died from gunshot wounds in 2013.
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Gun injuries more often fatal now, study finds

Injuries from senseless gun violence -- like those witnessed in Orlando on Sunday morning -- may be increasing in severity in ERs across the United States, a new study suggests. Americans mourn firearm-related fatalities every day, said lead researcher Dr. Angela Sauaia, a professor of public health and surgery at the University of Colorado, in Denver. Mass shootings are just the tip of the iceberg of the daily tragedy witnessed by trauma surgeons in emergency rooms, she added. Much of that trauma can be traced to increasingly powerful firearms, such as the assault rifle used in the weekend massacre at the Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded, experts say. Sauaias study was based on nearly 29,000 patients who came to the trauma center at the Denver Health Medical Center from 2000 to 2013. Just under 6 percent arrived with gunshot wounds. Among those who had been shot, the number of deaths increased significantly, as did the severity of their wounds. While technology and education are helping to make cars and bicycles safer, firearms are moving in the exact opposite direction, Sauaia said. They are becoming progressively more dangerous. If you are in a car crash today, you are more likely to survive than you were 10 years ago due to safer cars and improvements in trauma care, Sauaia noted. However, if you get shot today, you are more likely to die than if you were shot 10 years ago, despite our excellent trauma care, she said. Firearm injuries are becoming more lethal due to an increased number and severity of wounds they inflict. The data comes from only one trauma center, so the findings cant be generalized, she said. However, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 34,000 Americans died from gunshot wounds in 2013. HealthDay