Strategies to Improve Critical Care of a Gunshot Wound to the Head

Guest: William Coplin, MD

The world witnessed a remarkable recovery after Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head in an assassination attempt in January, 2011. However, most gunshot wounds to the head are fatal; statistics show only 5 percent of those shot in the head survive. Yet there are actions first responders and physicians can take to increase the chance of survival. Dr. William Coplin, associate professor of neurology and neurological surgery at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and director of neurotrauma and the neurological intensive care unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss what needs to be done in the "golden hour" after a shooting. He also focuses on the problems and rehabilitation issues patients face after this life-altering wound.