To preliminarily explore the application value of handheld ultrasound in establishing an animal model of iliac artery hemorrhage from gunshot wound in the pre-hospital setting.

The experimental animals were 8 Landrace pigs in the battlefield environment. Basic vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate were collected before the experiment. The right iliac artery was selected and marked on the body surface as the point of impact after localization by handheld ultrasound. After shooting, free bleeding was maintained for 30 s. Hemorrhagic shock was determined by continuous monitoring of changes in vital signs. The animals were dissected after execution to determine whether the iliac artery was dissected.

All the 8 animals were in hemorrhagic shock. Compared with the values in the pre-experimental period, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and mean arterial pressure (in mmHg) were decreased (144.38±14.74 vs 110.00±29.89, P=0.001; 96.63±17.20 vs 74.63±22.06, P＜0.001; 110.63±15.99 vs 88.38±27.12, P=0.003), and heart rate (in bmp) was increased (67.25±7.73 vs 94.50±16.62, P=0.004) after gunshot wounding. These were consistent with the clinical presentation of hemorrhagic shock. After the gunshot, bright red blood was visible in a jet-like gush. Seven (87.5%) animals had a complete rupture of the iliac artery and one (12.5%) had incomplete rupture of the iliac artery. All animals had severe muscle damage and comminuted fracture of the femur.

Handheld ultrasound can be used to establish animal models of bleeding from gunshot wounds with a high success rate. This lays a foundation for further exploration of fatal hemorrhage at junctional sites caused by gunshot wounds.