Mass casualty triage: an evaluation of the data and development of a proposed national guideline.
Mass casualty triage is a critical skill. Although many systems exist to guide providers in making triage decisions, there is little scientific evidence available to demonstrate that any of the available systems have been validated. Furthermore, in the United States there is little consistency from one jurisdiction to the next in the application of mass casualty triage methodology. There are no nationally agreed upon categories or color designations. This review reports on a consensus committee process used to evaluate and compare commonly used triage systems, and to develop a proposed national mass casualty triage guideline. The proposed guideline, entitled SALT (sort, assess, life-saving interventions, treatment and/or transport) triage, was developed based on the best available science and consensus opinion. It incorporates aspects from all of the existing triage systems to create a single overarching guide for unifying the mass casualty triage process across the United States.
Lerner
E Brooke
EB
Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. eblerner@mcw.edu
Schwartz
Richard B
RB
Coule
Phillip L
PL
Weinstein
Eric S
ES
Cone
David C
DC
Hunt
Richard C
RC
Sasser
Scott M
SM
Liu
J Marc
JM
Nudell
Nikiah G
NG
Wedmore
Ian S
IS
Hammond
Jeffrey
J
Bulger
Eileen M
EM
Salomone
Jeffrey P
JP
Sanddal
Teri L
TL
Markenson
David
D
O'Connor
Robert E
RE