The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently
announced the release of a new Blast Injury mobile application to
assist in the response and clinical management of injuries
resulting from terrorist bombings and other mass casualty
explosive events. The application provides clear, concise,
up-to-date medical and healthcare systems information to assist
healthcare providers and public health professionals in the
preparation, response, and management of injuries resulting from
terrorist bombing events.
In an instant, an explosion or blast can wreck havoc; producing
numerous casualties with complex, technically challenging
injuries not commonly seen after natural disasters such as floods
or hurricanes.
To address this issue, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), in collaboration with partners from the Terrorism Injuries
Information, Dissemination and Exchange (TIIDE) Project, as well
as other experts in the field, have developed fact sheets for
health care providers that provide detailed information on the
treatment of blast injuries.
The fact sheet addresses background, clinical presentation,
diagnostic evaluation, management and disposition of blast injury
topics.
BOSTON — For years, Dr. Michael J. Weaver, an orthopedic trauma
surgeon, went to meetings of his professional society and heard
surgeons from the military describe what they had learned
treating blast injuries. Then he would return to his practice at
Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he mostly treated
people injured in auto accidents or falls.
All that changed on Monday when victims of the bombings at the
Boston Marathon arrived.
“We’ve seen similar injuries, but never of this magnitude,” Dr.
Weaver said. “This is completely different.” The military
experience, he added, “has been phenomenally helpful.”
It turns out to be an art — and a delicate balancing act — to
treat people with blast injuries that can pulverize muscle and
rip blood vessels, that can drive pieces of metal into soft flesh
and shatter bones. Trauma surgeons call it damage control, and
say the military experience showed how important it is.Read the
full article
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health has
gathered resources for health professionals in response to the
April 15th explosions in Boston to foster resilience through
learning.
The organization of the content is intended to facilitate
self-directed learning as well as provide materials for
educators.
The National Center encourages health professionals to process
the events of April 15th by educating themselves and others to
contribute to “a Nation of resilient communities.”
This Burn Resource Manual has been created as a tool for use by
the Emergency Departments in all Los Angeles County Hospitals.
The materials were developed and/or selected from the burn
literature by a Burn Task Force. This Burn Task Force was created
by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency. This
multi-disciplinary group included the Medical Directors and
Administrative Nurses from the three burn centers in Los Angeles
County, one center in Orange County and one center in San
Bernardino county and representatives of the Emergency Medical
Services Agency.
This Information Bulletin contains information gained from
federal, state and local public safety sources with expertise in
explosives and response to explosives incidents. As with any
public safety issue, local agencies must determine local policies
and procedures. Note that a subsequent Information Bulletin will
be issued, to include information for use when responding to a
suspected bomber, if the call is received prior to an actual
detonation.
