What is Blast Injuries (Explosion)?
Explosions, whether accidental or intentional, can cause serious harm and even death. They have the potential to hurt many people at once, leading to severe injuries and death. Different factors determine how much damage an explosion can cause. These include when and where the explosion occurred, how many people were nearby, what materials were in the surrounding area, and the type of explosion (such as nuclear, mechanical, or chemical). Other factors include how far away a person was from the blast and what kind of protection they had.
The major factor that determines the extent of injuries from an explosion is the amount of kinetic energy it releases in a short time. Kinetic energy is the energy an object or a particle has because of its motion. In the context of an explosion, it’s the energy released suddenly as the explosion occurs.
What Causes Blast Injuries (Explosion)?
Explosives can be split into two groups—high order explosives and low order explosives. High order explosives create a very strong wave of pressure that moves faster than the speed of sound, we call this a blast wave or shock wave. In contrast, low order explosives cause a slower, subsonic explosion and they don’t produce the powerful blast wave associated with high order explosives. Some examples of low order explosives could be things like pipe bombs, gun powder, and bombs made of petroleum products. There’s also another thing that can happen during an explosion called a blast wind, which is a rush of extremely hot air that can cause harm to people and damage objects.
Injuries from chemical explosions are usually grouped into four categories (primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary). These categories are based on how the human body is affected by the blast wave, the blast wind, and the materials and environmental conditions around the area of the explosion.
Explosions can unfortunately cause immediate death due to severe injuries. This could be from severe lung injury that causes bleeding in the lungs and suffocation, an air bubble in the bloodstream originating from the lungs (known as a pulmonary air embolism), a serious injury to the head, severe internal injury, loss of a limb, or being impaled on an object.
Risk Factors and Frequency for Blast Injuries (Explosion)
Blast injuries happen due to various causes, scales and can result in different degrees of harm. In 2014, over 10,000 people in the United States were injured due to fireworks. Another report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that from 1987 to 1997, illegal bomb explosions caused more than 4,000 injuries and 448 deaths in the US. An example of a large-scale blast injury incident took place in 2013 at a Texas fertilizer plant, resulting in 15 deaths and many injuries. Across the globe, explosive devices have often been used for terrorist activities. In recent wars and disputes, most military injuries were caused by blasts.
- In 2014, over 10,000 people in the U.S were injured due to fireworks explosion.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that from 1987 to 1997, illegal bomb explosions caused more than 4,000 injuries and 448 deaths in the US.
- An explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant in 2013 led to 15 deaths and multiple injuries.
- Explosive devices are often used in terrorist attacks globally.
- Most injuries to military personnel in recent wars were caused by blasts.
Signs and Symptoms of Blast Injuries (Explosion)
It’s important to get a detailed history and physical assessment to determine the extent of the injuries. Here’s a basic process:
- Ensure your safety and the safety of the environment
- Check for injuries or issues with the person’s airway, breathing, or circulation
- Determine any disabilities the victim might have
- Understand the events leading to the incident. This can guide the rest of the evaluation and treatment necessary.
Testing for Blast Injuries (Explosion)
If your doctor suspects that you have an injury, they will start by performing a basic assessment, known as the ABCDEs. This stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure. It’s based on your previous medical history and a physical check-up.
Once that’s done, your doctor will decide what additional tests might be needed. The specific tests will depend on the kind of injury you have. These could include imaging tests (like X-rays or MRI scans), laboratory tests (blood tests, and so on), electrocardiograms (ECGs, which measure the electrical activity in your heart), echocardiograms (which create images of your heart), ultrasounds, or compartment pressure measurements (which assess the amount of pressure within a part of your body). All these tests are used to have a closer look at your injury and decide on the best course of action.
Treatment Options for Blast Injuries (Explosion)
The treatment and management of your condition will be based on your medical history and the results of your physical examination. Doctors will specifically look for signs of blast injuries. These are injuries stemming from exposure to explosions, which can sometimes manifest symptoms later, after the initial incident. Therefore, it’s crucial to be thoroughly checked for these types of injuries when indicated.
What else can Blast Injuries (Explosion) be?
Here are some urgent health conditions that require immediate attention:
- Immediate treatment of severe burns
- Flail chest (a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall)
- Hazmat situations (dealing with hazardous materials)
- Bleeding (hemorrhagic) shock in emergency settings
- Shock caused by severe blood loss (hypovolemic shock)
- Lower genital or urinary system injuries
- Injuries to the neck
- Eye burns and chemical injuries
- Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
