FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 352:1335-1342 March 31, 2005 Number 13 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

	Full Text PDF PDA Full Text Purchase this article Letters Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited E-mail When Letters Appear PubMed Citation

Although information about terrorism has emphasized chemical, biologic, and radiation events,^1,2,3,4,5 most terrorist attacks have involved explosive devices. To date, the number of lives lost, the number of people injured, and the consequences on the infrastructure are orders of magnitude higher after explosions⁶ than after chemical or biologic incidents. Nonconventional weapons have been perceived as more dangerous than explosives,^7,8 probably because the effects of explosions are easier to comprehend. This review summarizes the mechanisms and describes the clinical consequences of blast injuries and outlines strategies for the immediate management of trauma and specific effects resulting from blast injuries.

To date, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Types of Explosions

Conventional Bombs

Enhanced-Blast Explosive Devices

Types of Blast Injuries

Primary Blast Injuries

Secondary Blast Injuries

Tertiary Blast Injuries

Quaternary Blast Injuries

Treatment Strategies

General Considerations and Immediate Treatment

Management of Specific Injuries

Conclusions

Source Information

From the Medical-Surgical Group, Office of Patient Care Services (R.G.D.), and the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards (M.J.H.), Veterans Health Administration, Washington, D.C.; and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md. (D.G.B., H.R.C.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. DePalma at the Office of Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, 810 Vermont Ave. NW, 111B, Washington, DC 20420, or at rgdepalma@mail.va.gov.

Related Letters:

Blast Injuries
Ashkenazi I., Olsha O., Alfici R., Peleg K., Aharonson-Daniel L., Barham M., DePalma R. G., Burris D. G., Champion H. R.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2005; 352:2651-2653, Jun 23, 2005. Correspondence

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Scherer, M. R., Schubert, M. C. (2009). Traumatic Brain Injury and Vestibular Pathology as a Comorbidity After Blast Exposure. ptjournal 89: 980-992 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Silver, J. M., McAllister, T. W., Arciniegas, D. B. (2009). Depression and Cognitive Complaints Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Am. J. Psychiatry 166: 653-661 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vaishnavi, S., Rao, V., Fann, J. R. (2009). Neuropsychiatric Problems After Traumatic Brain Injury: Unraveling the Silent Epidemic. Psychosomatics 50: 198-205 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Whitney, K. A., Shepard, P. H., Williams, A. L., Davis, J. J., Adams, K. M. (2009). The Medical Symptom Validity Test in the evaluation of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom soldiers: A preliminary study. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 0: acp020v1-acp020 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Scaturo, D. J., Huszonek, J. J. (2009). Collaborative Academic Training of Psychiatrists and Psychologists in VA and Medical School Settings. Acad. Psychiatry 33: 4-12 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Krieger, B. P. (2009). Pulmonary Complications of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Trauma. ACCP Pulmonary Med Brd Rev 25: 233-244 [Full Text]  
• Myers, P. J., Henry, J. A., Zaugg, T. L. (2008). Considerations for Persons With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Perspectives on Audiology 4: 21-34 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schneiderman, A. I., Braver, E. R., Kang, H. K. (2008). Understanding Sequelae of Injury Mechanisms and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Incurred during the Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan: Persistent Postconcussive Symptoms and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Am J Epidemiol 167: 1446-1452 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Macdonald, J. C. MD, Tien, H. C.N. MD MSc (2008). Emergency battlefield cricothyrotomy. CMAJ 178: 1133-1135 [Full Text]  
• Subbarao, I., Steinbrecher, R., Tan, L., Peleg, K., Zeiger, J., James, J. J. (2007). Postexposure Immunization and Prophylaxis of Bloodborne Pathogens Following a Traumatic Explosive Event: Preliminary Recommendations. dmphp 1: 106-109 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• FOLIO, L., McHUGH, C., HOFFMAN, M. J. (2007). The Even-number Guide And Imaging Ballistic Injuries. radtech 78: 197-203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Elsayed, N. M., Gorbunov, N. V. (2007). Pulmonary Biochemical and Histological Alterations after Repeated Low-Level Blast Overpressure Exposures. Toxicol Sci 95: 289-296 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bumbasirevic, M., Lesic, A., Mitkovic, M., Bumbasirevic, V. (2006). Treatment of Blast Injuries of the Extremity. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 14: S77-S81 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Weil, Y. A., Mosheiff, R., Liebergall, M. (2006). Blast and Penetrating Fragment Injuries to the Extremities. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 14: S136-S139 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Benjaminov, O., Sklair-Levy, M., Rivkind, A., Cohen, M., Bar-Tal, G., Stein, M. (2006). Role of radiology in evaluation of terror attack victims.. Am. J. Roentgenol. 187: 609-616 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Eckert, M. J., Clagett, C., Martin, M., Azarow, K. (2006). Bronchoscopy in the Blast Injury Patient. Arch Surg 141: 806-811 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Scott, S. G., Belanger, H. G., Vanderploeg, R. D., Massengale, J., Scholten, J. (2006). Mechanism-of-Injury Approach to Evaluating Patients With Blast-Related Polytrauma. JAOA: Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 106: 265-270 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Taber, K. H., Warden, D. L., Hurley, R. A. (2006). Blast-Related Traumatic Brain Injury: What Is Known?. J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosi. 18: 141-145 [Full Text]  
• Ashkenazi, I., Olsha, O., Alfici, R., Peleg, K., Aharonson-Daniel, L., Barham, M., DePalma, R. G., Burris, D. G., Champion, H. R. (2005). Blast Injuries. NEJM 352: 2651-2653 [Full Text]