Evaluation and Management

Patients attending the emergency department (ED) following a blast are more likely to be critically ill with higher injury severity scores and more body areas injured than in other forms of multi-trauma [8].

Initial management should be given in accordance with standard trauma management [7,9].

Most injuries following explosions are due to secondary and tertiary blast injuries. Primary blast injury remains, however, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and consideration to its effects should be given in the ED.

In order to adequately assess a patient at risk of primary blast injury, one must have an awareness of the types of injury likely to have been sustained during an explosion and actively seek their symptoms and signs.

Learning Bite

The initial management of a blast victim is the same as for any multi-trauma patient.