Dr Steffen would answer: “It depends”
Why the young man ended up in an exchange of fire, is anyone’s guess. But it is known that one person bled to death due to the bullets. He himself had seven gunshot-wounds and came to the Hospital Diospi Suyana a couple of days ago seeking advice.
One of the bullets hit his thigh bones and smashed into smithereens; thus the bone was stronger. The situation was the opposite at the left fibula: the bullet shredded the bone into several individual parts.
Normally metal parts stemming from bullets or grenades do not need to be extracted from the body, unless they cause severe pain or press on nerves or vessels. The severity of a gunshot-wound is made up of many factors, e.g. the anatomy in question, the calibre size of the projectile and the speed of the shot.
The patient only needed same explanatory words from surgeon Dr Lukas Steffen and could then calmly head back home.
Photos published with the family’s expressed permission.
