These authors used a database of 323 hospitals to find over 20,000 firearm injured patients. They looked at positive cultures to assess for post injury infection. Infection rate was 5%. Most infections were in the immediate post injury period. Those with surgical procedures on head, neck, lower abdomen, and spine were most likely to develop infection. Infection did not appear to be associated with increased mortality. Current guidelines recommend antibiotics for the first 24 hours post injury only.
References
Yang J, Tung CC, Harfouche MN, Baghdadi JD. Bacterial Infections in US Adults with Firearm Injuries. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(8):e2627109. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.27109