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FACTORS INFLUENCING RELIEF EFFORTS AND PROVISION OF MEDICAL AID Good communication is critical for the authorities to respond quickly to a disaster. Wireless technology and satellite imagery have revolutionised the way in which real-time information can be obt...

FACTORS INFLUENCING RELIEF EFFORTS AND PROVISION OF MEDICAL AID Good communication is critical for the authorities to respond quickly to a disaster. Wireless technology and satellite imagery have revolutionised the way in which real-time information can be obt...

FURTHER READING Bartholdson S, von Schreeb J. Natural disasters and injuries: what does a /uni00A0 surgeon need to know? Curr Trauma Rep 2018; 4 : 103–8. Ciottone GR, Biddinger PD, Darling RG et al . Ciottone’s disaster medicine , 2nd edn. Philadelphia, PA: El...

Facial injuries The management of facial injuries follows the same general principles of debridement and delayed closure as already outlined. Because of the functional and cosmetic importance of facial structures, skin and soft-tissue excisions are kept to ...

Field hospitals The decision to deploy field hospitals depends on the location, the number of casualties and the speed with which evacua tion can be organised ( Figure 33.8 ). Whether the traditional tented structure or the modular type, housed in containers, ...

Frostbite and immersion injuries (trench foot) Frostbite occurs when a part of the body freezes. The cells are disrupted and the tissue dies. It is in e ff ect a ‘cold’ burn and can be categorised according to the depth that it a ff ects in the same way as a con...

Gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis) Gas gangrene is a dreaded consequence of late-presenting missile wounds and crushing injuries. It is a rapidly progressive, potentially fatal condition characterised by widespread necro sis of the muscles and soft-tissue...

HANDING OVER Follow-up and secondary problems The medical aspect of disaster management does not involve a single short-term e ff ort. It requires a long-term commitment and involvement of various disciplines. Because of the large numbers of casualties, the...

Hospital reorganisation In hospitals receiving mass casualties some reorganisation of services is unavoidable. This includes transferring patients with non-urgent conditions to other facilities, augmenting surgical services, reorganising the specialist rota an...