Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

Triage of Chemical CasualtiesIn a full-care facility, the casualty might be classifiedas immediate or minimal.VesicantsMost casualties from mustard exposure requireevacuation to a facility where they can receive carefor several days to months. The exceptions are thosewith small areas of erythema or with only a few small,discrete blisters. However, even these guidelines arenot absolute. If the casualty is seen early after exposure,erythema may be the only manifestation, but it maybe the precursor of blister formation. Small, discreteblisters may appear innocuous, but on certain areasof the body they can be incapacitating, rendering asoldier unfit for duty (see Chapter 8, Vesicants, for amore complete discussion).Mustard casualties, especially those with eyeinvolvement, are often classified as immediate forpurposes of decontamination. However, immediatedecontamination within 2 minutes can decrease thedamage of mustard to the tissues. This classificationis not helpful unless the casualty presents to the MTFwithin 2 minutes of exposure, which is very unlikelybecause of mustard’s latent effects. By the time themustard lesion forms, the agent has been in contactwith the skin, eye, or mucous membrane for a numberof hours, and irreversible effects have already begun.Casualties who have liquid mustard burns over 50%or more of body surface area or burns of a lesser extentbut with more than minimal pulmonary involvementpose a challenge for the triage officer. The medial lethaldose (LD 50) of liquid mustard, estimated at 100 mg/kg,covers 20% to 25% of body surface area. It is unlikelythat a casualty will survive twice the LD 50, whichwould cover about 50% of body surface area, becauseof the tissue damage from the radiomimetic effects ofmustard. Casualties with a burn this size or greaterfrom liquid mustard should be considered expectant.They require intensive care (which may include carein an aseptic environment because of leukopenia)for weeks to months, which can be provided only atthe far-rear level of care or in the continental UnitedStates. Chances of survival are very low in the best ofcircumstances and are decreased by delays in evacuation.Furthermore, even in a major hospital duringwartime, long-term care will require assets that mightbe needed for casualties more likely to survive.Under battlefield or other mass casualty conditions,casualties with conventional thermal burns coveringgreater than 70% of body surface area are usuallyput in the expectant group when medical facilitiesare limited. This percentage is subject to downwardmodification (in increments of 10%) by other factors,including further restriction of healthcare availability,coexisting inhalational injury, and associated traumaticinjury. However, differences exist between conventionalburns and mustard burns: conventional burnsare likely to have a larger component of third-degreeburns, whereas mustard burns are mostly second-degree.On the other hand, exposure to mustard causesproblems not seen with conventional burns, such ashemopoietic suppression and the ensuing susceptibilityto systemic infection, which is greater than that seenwith conventional burns.Mustard casualties are generally classified as delayedfor both medical attention and decontamination.Exceptions are casualties with a very small lesion ( 50% of body surface area) and moderate to severepulmonary involvement, who are usually classified asexpectant. In a more favorable medical environment,every effort should be made to provide care for thesecasualties; at least those in the latter group should beclassified as immediate.In a unit-level MTF, a mustard casualty might be categorizedas minimal, delayed, or expectant, but probablynot immediate, because required care would notbe available. Even if immediate evacuation is possible,the eventual cost in medical care for a casualty needingevacuation must be compared to the probable costand outcome of care for a casualty of another type. In alarge medical facility where optimum care is availableand the cost is negligible, a mustard casualty might beclassified as minimal, delayed, or immediate.Lung-Damaging AgentsCasualties exposed to lung-damaging agents (toxicindustrial chemicals) may also present a dilemma tothe triage officer. A casualty who is in marked distress,severely dyspneic, and productive of frothy sputummight recover in a fully equipped and staffed hospital;however, such a casualty would not survive withoutventilatory assistance within minutes to an hour. Thisassistance is not possible in the forward levels of medicalcare, nor is it possible to transport the casualty toa hospital within the critical period. Casualties withmild or moderate respiratory distress and physicalfindings of pulmonary edema must also be evacuatedimmediately; if evacuation to a full-care MTF is notforthcoming in a reasonably short period, the prognosisbecomes bleak. (These casualties would not betriaged as immediate because the required immediatecare is probably unavailable at the forward levels ofmedical care.) Thus, with lung-damaging agent casual-519