Critical care clinics
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Critical care clinics · Oct 2019
ReviewIntensive Care Role in Disaster Management Critical Care Clinics.
The "daily disasters" within the ebb and flow of routine critical care provide a foundation of preparedness for the less-frequent, larger events that affect most health care organizations at some time. Although large disasters can overwhelm, those who strengthen processes and habits through daily practice will be the best prepared to manage them.
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This review provides an overview of triaging critically ill or injured patients during mass casualty incidents due to events such as disasters, pandemics, or terrorist incidents. Questions clinicians commonly have, including "what is triage?," "when to triage?," "what are the types of disaster triage?," "how to triage?," "what are the ethics of triage?," "how to govern triage?," and "what research is required on triage?," are addressed.
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Critical care clinics · Oct 2019
ReviewChemical Agents in Disaster: Care and Management in the Intensive Care Unit.
Chemical agents of warfare are divided into lung agents, blood agents, vesicants, and nerve agents. Intensivists must familiarize themselves with the clinical presentation and management principles in the event of a chemical attack. ⋯ Patients may make complete recovery with aggressive supportive care, even if they appear to have a poor prognosis. Hospitals must have an emergency response disaster plan in place to deal with all potential causes of disasters, including illnesses resulting from chemical agents.
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Children are affected by all types of disasters disproportionately compared with adults. Despite this, planning and readiness to care for children in disasters is suboptimal locally, nationally, and internationally. ⋯ Some are pediatric focused or have pediatrics well integrated into the greater coalition. This article discusses key points of pediatric disaster planning, specific vulnerabilities, and the care of children in general and in specific disaster situations.