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SEQUENCE OF RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER A DISASTER Establishing a chain of command Many countries have dedicated organisations that deal with disasters. In other countries, an administrative hierarchy is established to coordinate the teams participating in relief e ff...

SEQUENCE OF RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER A DISASTER Establishing a chain of command Many countries have dedicated organisations that deal with disasters. In other countries, an administrative hierarchy is established to coordinate the teams participating in relief e ff...

SPECIFIC ISSUES There is no injury that is peculiar to disasters and the whole spectrum of external injuries from minor cuts and compound fractures to amputations is seen. Internal organ damage is frequent and, unless immediate help is available, this account...

Tetanus This potentially fatal condition, also called ‘lockjaw’, is caused by Clostridium tetani , a Gram-positive spore-forming bacillus occurring naturally in the intestines of humans and in the soil. It enters the body through a wound and replicates, thrivi...

Triage Derived from the French verb trier , triage means ‘to sort’ and is the cornerstone of the management of mass casualties. It aims to identify those patients who will benefit the most by being treated the earliest, ensuring ‘the greatest good for the gre...

BLAST INJURIES Blast injuries are classified by the blast mechanism ( Table 34.3 BLAST INJURIES Blast injuries are classified by the blast mechanism ( Table 34.3 BLAST INJURIES Blast injuries are classified by the blast mechanism ( Table 34.3

BLAST As already discussed, blast has become the predominant mechanism of injury in recent conflicts. Unfortunately , terror ist attacks within urban centres mean that these injuries are increasingly encountered within civilian practice. While explosives come ...

Ballistic injuries Terminal ballistics (or wound ballistics) describes the interac tion between projectiles and target tissue. This interaction and subsequent transfer of energy cause injury . The kinetic energy of the bullet is related to the mass and veloc...

CONSIDERATIONS International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regulates humanitar - ian issues during armed conflict. Modern IHL is derived from a variety of sources, notably the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols, along with further specific regulations f...