Question
Which among the following is the most common fatal primary injury due to the condition shown in the picture below ?
A. Abdominal injuries.
B. Brain injury.
C. Pulmonary barotrauma.
D. Vascular Injury.
Show Answer
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Correct Answer » C Explanation |
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Ans:C. Pulmonary Barotrauma.
The injury shown in the picture above represents the blast injury.
Blast injury
- It is a complex type of physical trauma resulting from direct or indirect exposure to an explosion.
- Categorized as primary to quaternary.
Primary injuries
- They are caused by blast overpressure waves.
- The ears are most often affected by the overpressure, followed by the lungs and the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Pulmonary barotrauma, the most common fatal PBI, may include the following:
- Pulmonary contusion
- Systemic air embolism, which most commonly occlude blood vessels in the brain or spinal cord
- Free radical–associated injuries such as thrombosis, lipoxygenation, and DIC
- ARDS may be a result of direct lung injury or of shock from other body injuries
Acoustic barotrauma consists of the following:
- Tympanic membrane rupture (most common)
- Hemotympanum without perforation
- Ossicle fracture or dislocation may occur with very high-energy explosions.
- GI tract:Perforation is common in stomach, small intestines & caecum
- Eyes:Conjuctival hemorrhage.
- Secondary injuries
- They are caused by fragmentation and other objects propelled by the explosion.
- These injuries may affect any part of the body and sometimes result in penetrating trauma with visible bleeding.
- Tertiary injuries
- Displacement of air by the explosion creates a blast wind that can throw victims against solid objects.
- They may present as some combination of blunt and penetrating trauma, including bone fractures and coup contre-coup injuries.
- Quaternary injuries
- They are all other injuries not included in the first three classes. These include flash burns, crush injuries, etc