# A question about stomach wounds. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185 "2003-08-05T19:36:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/1 "2003-08-05T19:36:07Z")
So, all I really know about them is what I’ve gathered from movies, and that’s not really helpful. Apparently, gun shots to the gut tend to be fatal about 90% of the time, but people can survive stab wounds quite easily (whether from a knife, screwdriver, rebar, etc.). So, in actuality, how fatal is a stomach wound, and does the type of wound make much of a difference (knife vs. .22, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/2 "2003-08-05T19:40:31Z")
I hear it takes awhile to die from them… at least according to Reservoir Dogs. ---
**Author:** ![patchbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dc4da7/32.png) [@patchbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/patchbunny)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/3 "2003-08-05T19:49:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > \*\*So, all I really know about them is what I’ve gathered from movies, and that’s not really helpful. Apparently, gun shots to the gut tend to be fatal about 90% of the time, but people can survive stab wounds quite easily (whether from a knife, screwdriver, rebar, etc.). So, in actuality, how fatal is a stomach wound, and does the type of wound make much of a difference (knife vs. .22, etc.)? \*\* I believe the 90% figure is rather high. The stomach and intestines take the cavitation effects from bullets rather well, so the bigger question leads towards peritonitis. Peritonitis can result from the leakage of the stomach/intestine contents into the abdominal cavity and is a big worry in a abdominal would, but you can do a lot to treat it. –Patch ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/4 "2003-08-05T20:03:26Z")
Are you talking about wounds to the stomach or wounds to the abdomen? Because a hole in the stomach is bad, but not as bad as a hole in your aorta. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/5 "2003-08-05T20:31:52Z")
I understand that they are also excruciatingly painful, although I don’t know myself! I would think peritonitis would be a problem, as well as the very high number of vital organs crammed into and around your abdomen. Hitting your liver or spleen would be real trouble, in addition to your stomach or intestine. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/6 "2003-08-05T20:43:09Z")
I think it depends upon what gets hit. William McKinley sustained stomach, kidney, and pancreas damage from his wounds, but he actually died about a week later from infections. Whether or not he would have survived long-term with a damaged pancreas is another question. If his body was no longer able to produce insulin, the outlook would have been very bleak, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/7 "2003-08-05T20:48:49Z")
How about when the dude’s intestines come spilling out through the hole? I heard a story once about some Viet Cong who taped a bowel to his wound to keep his insides…er…inside and went on fighting for 3-4 days until he was captured (I don’t know if he died) (it was also breifly referenced in Appocalypse Now). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/8 "2003-08-05T21:18:09Z")
[Ask The Gut-Shot Policeman](http://www.theonion.com/onion3304/gutshotcop.html). ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/9 "2003-08-05T21:59:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally slipped by msmith537 \* > I heard a story once about some Viet Cong who taped a _ **bowel** _ to his wound to keep his insides…er…inside Bwahahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/10 "2003-08-06T01:15:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by USCDiver \* > Bwahahahahaha! \*\* er…a **bowl** of bowels.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/11 "2003-08-06T03:06:17Z")
Thanks for the responses, everyone, and thank you **Dooku** for the link. that’s funny as hell. Like I said, most of my knowledge of the subject comes from shit I’ve seen in movies which really isn’t a good judge, but sometimes they’re truthful. (Couple spoilers coming up here, so be careful). In **Young Guns 2** , one character got shot in the gut, and when looking at it, someone remarked “That’s one that you don’t come back from” or something to that effect. Essentially “You’re gonna die slow and painful” and sure enough, the guy did. But, in **Gangs of New York** , when Daniel Day Lewis’s character is showing the “kills” vs. “wounds”, the stomach is a wound. He even pitches a kitchen knife into one guys gut and says “That’s a wound!” Deliberate strike meant to cause a lot of pain but not kill (assuming infection is avoided). But I’ve heard lots of places that, if you get shot in the gut, you’re pretty much f\*#ked. Is it all a matter of getting medical attention really fast? ---
**Author:** ![patchbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dc4da7/32.png) [@patchbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/patchbunny)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/12 "2003-08-07T16:35:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > \*_But I’ve heard lots of places that, if you get shot in the gut, you’re pretty much f_#ked. Is it all a matter of getting medical attention really fast? \*\* It’s an exaggeration. If the bullet penetrates the intestines, you’ve now got fecal matter roaming in your abdominal cavity, which means that without medical attention, yes, you’re fucked from the resulting infection. However, if you go to the hosiptal, they can sew up the puctures, flush your abdomen out, give you antibiotics, and you can survive. The injury is serious, but not as serious you’ve heeard. –Patch ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stomach-wounds/193185/13 "2003-08-07T18:31:27Z")
[The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_203b.html) (albeit briefly & tangentially.)