title: Blast injuries to the lungs: clinical presentation, management and course.
abstract: Five patients with blast injuries to the lungs after bomb explosions are reported. In each patient radiological changes were apparent on the initial chest film taken within 4 hours of the explosions. Arterial hypoxaemia was also present. Four patients were actively treated with continuous positive-pressure ventilation, which was adjudged effective therapy. Two patients died, one owing to bilateral pneumothorax which occurred during anaesthesia, and the other owing to overwhelming infection. Hypoxaemia persisted for 4 months in one of the survivors. Lung function tests which were performed on the same patient 10 monhts after the blast injuries, however, were normal.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000628:therapy; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D055370:Lung Injury; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000009:adverse effects; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen