Explosions and blast injuries

Abstract

Powerful explosions have the potential to inflict many different types of injuries on victims, some of which may be initially occult. Flying debris and high winds commonly cause conventional blunt and penetrating trauma. Injuries caused by blast pressures alone result from complex interactions on living tissues. Interfaces between tissues of different densities or those between tissues and trapped air result in unique patterns of organ damage. These challenge out-of-hospital personnel, emergency physicians, and trauma surgeons to specifically seek evidence of these internal injuries in individuals with multiple trauma, adjust management considerations to avoid exacerbation of life-threatening problems caused by the blast wave itself, and ensure appropriate disposition of these patients in possible mass-casualty situations. Knowledge of the potential mechanisms of injury, early signs and symptoms, and natural courses of these problems will greatly aid the management of blast-injured patients.