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Disaster Response and Bio-Chemical Terrorism

Disaster Response and Bio-Chemical Terrorism. Silver Cross EMS CME 3 rd Trimester September 2013. Our Agenda Today. System Announcements – a new CME person! Importance of disaster response preplanning and preparedness

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Disaster Response and Bio-Chemical Terrorism

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  1. Disaster Response and Bio-Chemical Terrorism Silver Cross EMS CME 3rd Trimester September 2013

  2. Our Agenda Today • System Announcements – a new CME person! • Importance of disaster response preplanning and preparedness • Bio-Chemical weapons of mass destruction agents first responders should be concerned about • Epidemiologic clues that may indicate act of bioterrorism • Strip o’ the month • BLS skill o’ the month

  3. Introduction • Disaster response • Challenges • Responder safety • Multiple patients • Equipment in short supply • Inexperience in mass casualty incidents • Natural or manmade • Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornados • Structural collapse, hazmats release, terrorist attacks

  4. Disaster Response Preparedness • Local & state response • Preplanning vital • Team effort • Many agencies involved • Operating procedures developed • Response procedures to guide safe scene operations • Patient decontamination • Treatment • Medication • Destination protocols

  5. Disaster Response Preparedness • Local & state response • Medical equipment • Caches of supplies • PPE • Mass decontamination supplies • Antidotes • Surge capacity hospitals • Equipment stored to open temporary hospitals • Convention centers, arenas • Portable tent hospitals

  6. Disaster Response Preparedness • Federal response • National response plan (NRP) • National approach to domestic incident management • Joins with local, state efforts • Goals • Prevent terrorist attacks within US • Reduce US vulnerability to terrorism, major disasters & other emergencies • Minimize damage from attacks, major disasters & other emergencies • Facilitate recovery from domestic incidents

  7. Disaster Response Preparedness • Federal response • National disaster medical system • Coordinated by Dept of Health & Human Services • Staffed by National Disaster Medical System • Disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs) • National medical response teams for WMD • International medical surgical teams • Disaster mortuary operations teams • National Veterinary Response Teams • FEMA urban search and rescue teams

  8. Disaster Response Preparedness

  9. Incident Management System • National incident management system • Consistent nationwide approach • Provides protocols, concepts, terminology, organization • Core concepts • Incident command system • Multiple-agency coordination • Training • Resource identification & management • Collection, tracking, reporting incident information

  10. Incident Management System • Incident command system (ICS) • Use mandated by PSHA regulation & HASWOPER standard • Structure • Command • Incident commander (IC) • Operations section • Manages all tactical operations • Planning & intelligence • Collect & evaluate information about event • Suggest action plan to IC

  11. Incident Management System

  12. Incident Management System • Incident command system (ICS) • Structure • Logistics • Locating & organizing • Finance or administration • Tracking incident costs • Role of EMS • EMS falls into many function areas • Medical sector or group under operations • Medical sector or group leader • Logistics • Planning to ID patient needs

  13. Incident Management System • Incident command system (ICS) • Concepts • Common terminology • Command post operations • Unified command • Consolidated response plan • Span of control • Integrated communications • Staging area

  14. Incident Management System

  15. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Blood agents • Chemicals enter body, inhibit cellular use of O2 • Hydrogen cyanide (AC) • Cyanogen chloride (CK)

  16. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Treatment • Remove to fresh air • If liquid agent, decontamination vital • Airway & circulatory management • Antidote: Taylor Cyanide Antidote Package

  17. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Pulmonary agents • Responders should fear most • Easy to obtain • Choking agents • Attack lungs & lung tissue

  18. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Pulmonary agents • Phosgene • Colorless gas with newly mown hay odor • Highly volatile, nonpersistent agent • Heavier than air, remains in low-lying places for long period • Gas at temperatures >47°F • Easy to produce, unstable in storage, must be kept refrigerated

  19. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Pulmonary agents • Chlorine • Greenish-yellow gas or amber liquid with pungent odor • 2 x heavier than air • Highly volatile, nonpersistent • Strong oxidizer & highly corrosive

  20. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Pulmonary agents • Anhydrous ammonia • Used as fertilizer • Refrigerant for cooling & freezing • Colorless gas in lower concentrations • Higher concentrations can form white cloud • Volatile, persistent

  21. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Vesicants • Blister agents • Burn & blister skin/surface they contact • Severely damage skin, eyes, lungs, GI tract • Contaminate almost everything in contact • Signs/symptoms • Erythema & blisters on skin • Irritation • Conjunctivitis • Corneal opacity • Mild upper respiratory signs to marked airway damage • GI effects

  22. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Vesicants • Liquid or vapor • Presentation hours after exposure • No antidote • Care is supportive • Decontamination critical

  23. Weapons of Mass Destruction

  24. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Nerve agents • Most well know type of chemical • Most toxic • Hardest to acquire • G agents • Signs & symptoms similar, onset varies • SLUDGE-BBM or SLUDGE-BAM or DUMBELLS • Attach & deactivate acetyl cholinesterase

  25. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Chemical agents • Riot control agents • CS & CN tear gas • CS more potent • Pepper spray

  26. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Different response than chemical weapons • Biologics have incubation period of days, weeks • No ground zero for response • Hospital workers may be first responders • Bioterrorism agent threat list

  27. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Anthrax • Bacillus anthracis • Inhalation anthrax most lethal form • Prodromal stage • Fulminant stage • Cutaneous anthrax

  28. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Smallpox • Variole major • Lesions begin in mouth • Uniform lesions across body • Use N95 respiratory protection • Adequate vaccine available

  29. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Plague • Yersinia pestis • Early symptoms • Fever, chills, mylagia • Pneumonic plague • Bubonic plague • Septicemis plague • Treated with antibiotics • N-95 respiratory protection required

  30. Weapons of Mass Destruction

  31. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Tularemia • Rabbit fever, deer fly fever • Rapid onset fever, chills, myalgia • Treated with antibiotics

  32. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Botulism • Only toxin listed as class A biologic agent by CDC • Foodborne most common type • Severe disease may lead to respiratory muscle failure

  33. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Biologic agents • Viral hemorrhagic fevers • Ebola, Marburg, Lassa • Inordinate risk to healthcare workers • Strict infection control precautions required

  34. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Radiologic agents • Simple radiologic device • Radioactive source placed in heavily populated area • Spontaneously emit ionizing radiation

  35. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Radiologic agents • Radiologic dispersal devices or weapons • Dirty bomb • Spreads radioactive material • May be traumatic injuries from blast effect • May cause acute radiation syndrome

  36. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Radiologic agents • Signs • 100 rads: GI symptoms, onset within hours • 600 rads: severe GI symptoms, dehydration & death • Several 1000s of rads: Neurologic & cardiovascular symptoms • Bone marrow depression • Leukopenia • Infections

  37. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Radiologic agents • Acute radiation syndrome phases • Prodromal • Acute illness • Generalized flu symptoms • Skin sensation changes • Skin burns • Latent • Dormant period • No symptoms • Hours to week

  38. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Radiologic agents • Acute radiation syndrome phases • Manifest illness • Severity of exposure • Organs damaged • Recovery or death

  39. Weapons of Mass Destruction • Radiologic agents • Treatment • Remove clothing if dirty bombs • Reverse isolation • Ambulance ventilation • Notify ED en route

  40. Strip o’ the month • Not a strip, more of a device… the Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD! • More and more patients in our area are wearing these devices.

  41. Why the LVAD • The LVAD is, in effect, a portable heart pump. • Connected to left ventricle, which does the major work of pumping blood through the body. • Worn with chest harness and fanny pack. • So advanced, patients can wear them for a few years if necessary • Until a donor heart is available

  42. Popularity of LVAD • So advanced that many patients now use them not while waiting for a heart, but as an end-treatment. • Research suggests releasing patients home with LVAD contributes to positive outcomes. • Studies show depression and co-morbidities normally linked to heart surgery and transplants are much lower with the LVAD.

  43. A short film • One of the more commonly used LVADs in the area is the ThoratecHeartMate II. • The Thoratec company has released a training film for EMS responders. • There are other brands on the market. • If you have patients with LVADs in your community, confirm with them which models they carry and how EMS instructions may differ. • Link to Thoratec LVAD video: http://youtu.be/GHbwIy8LQ38

  44. LVAD wrap-up • We have much more information in the EMS office on LVAD patients and first responders. • LVAD patients usually contact local fire departments and ambulance services to offer training. • If unsure how to treat an LVAD patient on scene, contact medical control and patient’s hospital liaison. • Different models may require different procedures for CPR, for example hand-pumps, etc.

  45. BLS Skill o’ the Month • Traction Splints! (bipolar) • There are other ones out there… • Practice on the model you have, but the principles are the same. • Indications: obvious femur fractures • Contraindications: knee/ankle/lower leg injuries • How do they work? • When femurs break, the strong thigh muscles contract. • Traction splints pull thigh muscles back apart, easing tension on the broken bone and easing pain, minimizing blood loss and internal injury.

  46. Assess pulses and motor and sensory function.

  47. Stabilize the injured leg by applying manual traction.

  48. Adjust the splint using the uninjured leg.

  49. Position the splint so the ischial pad rests against the bony prominence of the buttocks. Then raise the heel stand.

  50. Attach the ischial strap over the groin and thigh.

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