Conan Gasque (Host): Welcome to Inside Pediatrics, a podcast brought to you by Children's Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham. I'm  Conan Gasque. Our topic today is gunshot injuries and firearm safety. We're joined by Dr. Erin Swanson from the Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine here at Children's of Alabama. Dr. Swanson, thanks so much for your time.

Erin Swanson, MD: Glad to be here.

Host: So I want to talk a little bit first about your role here at Children's of Alabama. What you do and how gunshot injuries are a part of that.

Erin Swanson, MD: So I take care of kids, um, with physical disabilities, whether that is from something they were born with or something that happens to them as they're growing up. Um, and I spend a lot of time on the inpatient rehabilitation unit, and we are consulted in the hospital anytime a kid has had a serious illness or injury, um, and that's when I typically get involved in a kid's life. Unfortunately, we've been having more and more injuries, um, from gunshot.

Host: What are some of the types of injuries you see related to gunshots? I guess they can kind of run the gamut.

Erin Swanson, MD: Typically, I'm more involved in kids that have had severe brain injuries, um, as well as kids that have had spinal cord injuries or even injuries to their brachial plexus, which is the group of nerves that comes from your spinal cord, um, and is responsible for all your arm movements.

Host: Wow. How challenging can it be for a child to recover from that kind of injury?

Erin Swanson, MD: Very challenging. So, you can get you know, faster initial recovery, but these are usually lifelong conditions that we are trying to both recover from and then manage some of the parts of their body that haven't recovered after an injury.

Host: So, when a child is affected by a gunshot injury, this isn't something as simple as, you know, they're affected by it, maybe a few months later they recover fully. These are things that they could be dealing with, really, their entire lives.

Erin Swanson, MD: Absolutely.

Host: What is it like for you to see things like that and to know what these children are going through?

Erin Swanson, MD: Um, I also follow the kids and families long term. So, I take care of kids, you know, for years afterwards, and so it can, you really bond with the family and also the child and teenager, and I've also transitioned some of my, you know, teenagers that are now adults into you know, adult providers that take care of brain and spinal cord injuries. It can impact their life and not just their lives, but their entire family's lives. Um, because it can change so many things about like, you know, how they're able to function in the world and within their family. Also, um, a lot of times it was, you know, a gun that was someone else's, um, as part of their family that was either, like, used or found or all that kind of stuff, um, and so that can be really traumatic and impact families and that child long term.

Host: So considering everything that you've seen about the impact that gunshots can have, what are some of your recommendations for how parents can keep their children safe?

Erin Swanson, MD: Yes, um, so no parent wants their child to be injured, um, from a gun. So the first thing I would say it is always the adult's responsibility to make sure that the firearm is secured. And definitely storing firearms unloaded, um, with the ammunition in a separate place, and then using gun locks is the safest way if you're going to have a gun in your home. Also, an important thing to remember is to secure your gun in your car. We have had children injured because they found a family member's gun in the car and they've injured themselves or actually a sibling.

Host: Wow. So wherever that gun happens to be, however you store it, however you're, uh, keeping it or using it, you need to make sure that if there's any chance a child is going to come near it. That it's safely secured and stored.

Erin Swanson, MD: Absolutely. Also, you know, talking to your child about gun safety. So I would recommend anytime you're talking about other types of safety, fire safety, you know, crossing the street, all the things that we talk to our kids about to keep them safe.

So, one would be, if they see a gun, to assume it's loaded, not to touch the gun, and then to tell an adult. Especially if you're talking with young children, those are the best ways to talk to them about that. But also knowing that, you know, I myself, who is a mom, telling my child that they're not supposed to do something doesn't always mean they're going to listen, which makes it even more important to make sure that gun is secured.

Host: And I guess it's good to, you have that conversation, you don't just have that conversation once, you maybe have it on a regular basis to remind them.

Erin Swanson, MD: Definite repetition, like with all other safety things, um, and with just giving instructions to children in general.

Host: All right. Once again, Dr. Erin Swanson from the Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine here at Children's of Alabama. Dr. Swanson, thanks so much for your time.

Erin Swanson, MD: Thank you.

Host: Thanks for listening to Inside Pediatrics. For more podcasts like this one, go to childrensal.org or wherever you find podcasts.