Blast: injury patterns and their recording

Abstract

Exposure to explosive blast results in a variety of injuries dependent on the degree of blast loading, the relative contribution of secondary fragments and the interaction of a casualty with the surroundings. The internal and more covert injuries peculiar to blast are easily overlooked in the haste to treat the obvious external wounds which are usually much more dramatic. This paper describes the pathogenesis of blast injury and suggests how best it may be recorded.