Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2015
ReviewEmergency Department Management of Patients Internally Contaminated with Radioactive Material.
After a radiation emergency that involves the dispersal of radioactive material, patients can become externally and internally contaminated with 1 or more radionuclides. Internal contamination can lead to the delivery of harmful ionizing radiation doses to various organs and tissues or the whole body. ⋯ Estimating the amount of radioactive material absorbed into the body can guide the management of patients. Treatment includes, in addition to supportive care and long term monitoring, certain medical countermeasures like Prussian blue, calcium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) and zinc DTPA.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2015
ReviewMental Health Consequences of Chemical and Radiologic Emergencies: A Systematic Review.
This article reviews the literature pertaining to psychological impacts in the aftermath of technological disasters, focusing on the immediate psychological and mental health consequences emergency department physicians and first responders may encounter in the aftermath of such disasters. First receivers see a wide spectrum of psychological distress, including acute onset of psychiatric disorders, the exacerbation of existing psychological and psychiatric conditions, and widespread symptomatology even in the absence of a diagnosable disorder. The informal community support systems that exist after a natural disaster may not be available to communities affected by a technological disaster leading to a need for more formal mental health supportive services.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2015
ReviewHospital Preparedness for Chemical and Radiological Disasters.
Hospital planning for chemical or radiological events is essential but all too often treated as a low priority. Although some other types of disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes may be more frequent, chemical and radiological emergencies have the potential for major disruptions to clinical care. ⋯ Planning needs to include all 4 phases of an event: mitigation (preplanning), preparation, response, and recovery. Mitigation activities should include the performance of a hazards vulnerability analysis and identification of local subject-matter experts and team leaders.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2015
ReviewPersonal Protective Equipment and Decontamination of Adults and Children.
Accurate identification of the hazardous material is essential for proper care. Efficient hospital security and triage must prevent contaminated victims from entering the emergency department (ED) and causing secondary contamination. The decontamination area should be located outside the ambulance entrance. ⋯ Decontamination proceeds in a head-to-toe sequence. Run-off water is a hazardous waste. Hospital and Community Management Planning for these emergencies is essential for proper preparation and effective response to the hazardous materials incident.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2015
ReviewChecklists for Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness.
Preparation for, and response to, hazardous materials emergencies requires both preplanning and just-in-time information management. The development of an emergency operations plan and a hazardous materials incident response plan involves many steps and implicates numerous resources: institutional, governmental, and private. ⋯ The availability of resources, human and informatics, as well as the means for accessing them, inevitably changes over time. The reader is advised to update all links and telephone numbers on a regularly scheduled basis.