Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
I'm back from the USA, and I gave lectures on terrorism to
schools in southern California. I spoke with emergency
personnel, police, and nurses and physicians in preparation
for this lecture.
Suicide bombers sometimes dress up like chareidim to go
unrecognized. The usual material for these people is RDX -- a
high explosive used by the military for mines and the navy
for missiles. It is cheap and easily bought. The fuse is
usually located in the hand or on the shoulder. If you see a
person holding something and he will not let go it may be a
fuse. They may have one shoulder that looks bigger than the
other. This may be because the fuse is there and can be set
off by a cellular phone nearby. They may do unusual things
like smoke or listen to music on Shabbos. They may wear a
heavy coat in the summer. They may be wearing rich clothing,
as they get a cash advance.
Do not approach such people. Because the shock wave goes out
from the chest area, the best thing to do is to lie down
quickly and hope the shock wave passes over. The nails and
ball bearings they wear are particularly dangerous and can be
hard to find. Physicians are told that, despite the
overwhelming number of victims, they must look each patient
over and over again to not miss anything.
After an attack, Rachmono litzlan, do not approach the
area. Your help is not needed and if there is possibly a
relative involved you will not get information there. 800
numbers are immediately set up and hospitals are organized.
Try not to become hysterical. Also take into account that the
roads will be closed and the hospitals will also be secured
to keep everything orderly and prevent an event at the
hospital itself.
Most of the trauma is penetrating and not blunt. That means
that if it happens in an open space like a bus stop there
will be a lot of survivors. A bus is treacherous because it
is a closed space, and burns and shock injuries are more
common. These injuries, if they are not fatal, take a long
time to recover from as well as causing psychological damage.
Most emergency departments have a psychologist.
Please try to avoid the emergency department at this time.
You can expect the operating rooms and orthopedists to be
tied up for a long time.
This is what I spoke about. Let's pray we will never need to
use this information. Write me in care of the
Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Jet lag is a perfect set-up for a migraine and
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