bomb blast injuries

1. BOMB BLAST
INJURIES
DR . SYED AHSAN ALI

2. BOMB
🠶 The word comes from Greek word bombos
🠶 An explosive device, usually some kind of
container filled with explosive materials ,
designed to cause destruction when set off.

3. EXPLOSION
🠶 Explosion is an phenomenon resulting from sudden release
of energy which is then dissipated by a blast wave, by
translocation of the objects in the space or by heat
generation.
Pressure: up to 1000 tons per square inch (psi)
🠶 Temperature : up to 3000 degree Celsius
Types:
🠶 Atomic 🠶 Mechanical 🠶 Chemical

4. 🠶 It may be high order
🠶 Explosion is supersonic
🠶 Blast contains a over-pressurized wave
🠶 Low order explosive
🠶 Explosion is not as fast as the speed of sound
🠶 No over-pressurization wave
🠶 Crackers & batteries

5. CHEMICAL
EXPLOSIVES
🠶 Can be gaseous, liquid or solid
🠶 Black powder
🠶 Nitroglycerin
🠶 Dynamite
🠶 TNT (Tri Nitro Toluene)
🠶 IED
🠶 Booby Traps

6. FACTORS CAUSING BLAST INJURIES
🠶 Blast /shock waves(spreads concentrically from explosion
site at a speed of sound)
🠶 Flames/ Hot gases(extensive burns with blackening &
Tattooing)
🠶 Flying missiles
🠶 HISTOTOXIC Anoxia

9. 🠶 Primary blast injuries: direct effect of “blast overpressure.”
Injuries are due to compressed air, which tends to affect
air – filled organs such as Lungs, GIT, middle ear, etc.
🠶 Secondary blast injuries: due to flying objects generated by
the actual blast. E.g eye globe penetration etc
🠶 Tertiary Blast injuries: occurs when victims are thrown into
the air and strike other objects. E.g fractures etc
Quaternary: Burns, septic syndromes
Quinary: From additives (bacteria, radiation)

10. Blast waves from explosion

11. 16

12. 🠶 When in immediate vicinity of an
explosion , victims' body would be
blown into the pieces and small parts
of the body may be scattered over a
wide area
🠶 When at a little distance away from
the explosion , the injuries may be
limited to the blowing off of the head
or a limb or mangling of a localised
area.

13. 🠶 Extensive burns
🠶 Depends upon the total thermal energy , &
duration of the explosion.
🠶 Degree of the burns is directly proportional
to the rate of the explosion
🠶 Areas affected by the flash burns are dry,
reddish brown & parchment like.
🠶 Duration of exposure is small, so superficial
burns.

14. 🠶 Most sensitive to blast
🠶 Rupture of tympanic membrane
🠶 Damage to cochlea & Eustachian tube
🠶 Deafness (sensorineural or conductive or both)
🠶 Ossicular chain gets affected
🠶 Tinnitus

15. infiltrates.
🠶 Commonly known as “Blast Lungs”
🠶 Alveolar haemorrhage due to tearing of
alveolar septa
🠶 Lungs are bruised due to direct blow on
the chest by bomb fragments and debris.
🠶 Chest X-ray showing typical bilateral patchy

16. 🠶 Intestinal rupture
🠶 Haemorrhage beneath the
peritoneum and into the mesentery
and omentum
🠶 Blunt trauma to the abdomen can
cause solid organ injuries like liver,
renal and splenic contusion,
lacerations and haemorrhage.
Multiple shrapnel entry sites (black arrows) and
penetrating injury to intestine (white arrows).

17. 🠶Concussion
🠶Cerebral
haemorrhage
🠶Coup-contrecoup
🠶Whiplash injury

18. 🠶 Burns
🠶 Blunt force trauma
🠶 Falling debris
🠶 Asphyxia due to inhalation of product of combustion
🠶 Crush syndrome
🠶 Shock and haemorrhage
🠶 Air embolism
🠶 Delayed causes: Septicaemia

19. 🠶 Accidental: In case of LPG Cylinder or
Dynamite explosion.
🠶 Suicidal : Suicide bombers.
.
🠶 Homicidal : as in case of terrorist activities.
🠶 Passenger Aircraft explosion.