Citation

Lesperance RN, Nunez TC. Crit. Care Nurs. Clin. North Am. 2015; 27(2): 277-287.

Affiliation

Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 21st Avenue South, 404 Medical Arts Building, Nashville, TN 37212-1750, USA; Department of Surgery, Tennessee Valley VA Medical Center, 1310 24th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212-1750, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.cnc.2015.02.007

PMID

25981729

Abstract

Blast trauma can kill or injure by multiple different mechanisms, not all of which may be obvious on initial presentation. Patients injured by blast effects should be treated as having multisystem trauma and managed according to Advanced Trauma Life Support guidelines. For the most severely injured patients, damage control resuscitation should be practiced until definitive hemorrhage control has been achieved. Patients with blast injuries may present in mass-casualty episodes that can overwhelm local resources. This article reviews some specific injuries, as well as the importance of mild traumatic brain injury. The importance of rehabilitation is discussed.

Language: en