Deployment and operation of a transportable burn intensive care unit in response to a burn multiple casualty incident.
In many hospitals, intensive care units (ICUs) operate at or above capacity on a daily basis. Multiple casualty incidents will create a sudden need for additional ICU beds and hospital planning for disaster response must anticipate the need for rapid ICU expansion. In this article, the authors describe the management of 6 patients who were burned in Guam and successfully transported a distance of 7,268 miles to San Antonio, TX, for tertiary burn center care. The mission required creation of a temporary burn ICU at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, approximately midway between the referring hospital and the receiving burn center. A method of creating a temporary burn center is described. Lessons learned, including the need to standardize equipment, and to cross-train and cross-credential medical personnel, are applicable to both military and civilian mass casualty management.
Barillo
David J
DJ
US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Ft Sam Houston, Texas, USA.
Cancio
Leopoldo C
LC
Stack
Richard S
RS
Carr
Shamus R
SR
Broger
Kristine P
KP
Crews
David M
DM
Renz
Evan M
EM
Blackbourne
Lorne H
LH
D000328:Adult; D017732:Air Ambulances; D002056:Burns / Q000628:therapy*; D054597:Disaster Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006141:Guam; D006254:Hawaii; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013781:Texas; D014187:Transportation of Patients; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States