My understanding of seriously chemically contaminated casualties is that you
do not want them anywhere near your hospital until they have been thoroughly
cleaned by mobile decontamination units! Transporting contaminated
casualties to hospitals contaminates the ambulances as well as the hospitals
and all the personnel. Safety comes first; especially your own! Having been
involved in a chemical incident exercise requiring gas tight suits, I can
tell you that it is virtually impossible to anything effective for patients;
the seriously injured and those with respiratory failure will die because of
the time it takes to deploy effective decontamination units. Sounds a bit
negative, but why spread contamination around when it can be contained?
Regards
John Apps GP
Basics North East
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
[log in to unmask]
Sent: 20 September 2000 09:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: decontamination rooms
Thanks to the modernisation fund I now have a large "decontamination room"
in my department. This was a nice office and a store but is now a part
tiled space with a shower in one corner, drains running along the wall with
the showers and the usual oxygen/suction etc. in the opposite corner. We
have never in my experience had a chemically contaminated casualty needing
that level of facility but no matter we are prepared. We have the fancy
suits in a box but no-one knows how to put them on yet. My question to the
group is what do we put in the room to decontaminate people with? A mop &
bucket? How do we divide the space between contaminated and clean? Do we
store clean gowns in the room?
C C Scott
A&E Consultant, Southport
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|