The wounded students who turned up at four Virginia hospitals after Monday's school shooting rampage were "very brave," a doctor said Tuesday — one bound his own leg to keep from bleeding to death.

Twelve students remained in hospital in stable condition after a gunman shot and killed 32 students and wounded 15 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the town of Blacksbury. The gunman then killed himself.

Students attend a makeshift memorial site on the Virginia Tech campus on Tuesday.
(Chuck Burton/Associated Press)

Dr. David Stoeckle, of Montgomery Regional Hospital, said one student had wrapped an electrical cord around his thigh after he was shot in the femoral artery. The student, a former Eagle Scout, knew he would not survive if he couldn't get the bleeding under control, Stoeckle said.

"Without him taking care of himself … I think there was a good chance he would have died," Stoeckle told reporters, adding that while the student was doing well, he wouldn't be leaving hospital any time soon.

"I'm certainly proud of all the students … They were all very brave," Stoeckle said.

Several students came to the hospital with serious injuries, Stoeckle said, including one with a gunshot wound to the liver and another with a gunshot wound to the kidney and bowel.

M. Scott Hill, chief executive officer of the hospital, said the wounded are not alone in hospital.

"The families are by the bedside, which is a good thing," he said. "All of our affiliated physicians, nurses and other employees remain focused, ensuring that all of these patients receive the best possible care."

Nine of the injured remained Tuesday at Montgomery, while three were at Lewis Gale Medical Center in Salem, Va. All are in stable condition, Hill said.

Two were discharged from Lewis Gale on Monday, while a third was expected to be discharged on Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Hill told a news conference that staff at Montgomery were "real heroes" for their response, but the focus is on the patients, six of whom had surgery on Monday, and their families.

"We want to make sure that the families of the patients have what they need," he said.

Hill said the hospital received its first two victims of the shooting early Monday. "We did see two patients very early, and for us, it was constant activity throughout the day once those two patients arrived," he said.

With files from the Associated Press