Shotgun injuries in pediatric patients.

Firearms, particularly high-powered automatic weapons, injure progressively younger children in urban environments. At Arkansas Children's Hospital, 32 children have been admitted for gunshot wounds in 12 years. Air guns (3), handguns (19), and shotguns (10) caused the injuries. Shotgun wounds occurred during hunting accidents (2), flights from houses (3), and mistaken identity in the home (5), usually by family members (5). All victims of shotgun wounds were boys; seven were black. Their ages ranged from 6 to 20 years. Two injuries involved the abdomen, one the flank, one the chest, one the axilla, and five the legs. Accidental discharge of a weapon at close range caused extensive multisystem damage and long-term sequelae. Most of the wounds could have been avoided with the use of common sense and simple measures to identify the person within the household.