Blast Injuries - classification and presentation
Explosions can inflict injuries on a single or many people at the same time, causing mortality and morbidity. There are various factors that impact the type and severity of the injury including, place and time, the number of people in the area, surrounding materials, and the type of explosion itself (nuclear, mechanical, or chemical). Air-filled organs suffer the most damage with the blast wave. Such barotrauma can affect the lungs, auditory organs, the eye, brain, and gastrointestinal tract. Primary blast injuries are characterized as subtle with a delayed presentation (up to 48h). Victims may not initially show any obvious signs of injury. The secondary blast injuries are caused by debris, that causes penetration of the body surface. These are more common than primary blast injuries. Tertiary are caused when the person in displaced through the air, impacting other object by the blast wind. Quaternary are a result of exposure to fire, fumes, radiation, biological agents, smoke, dust and toxins, as well as the psychological impact of the event.