Study looks into Radiology's Role in Saving Bombing Victims

A new study based on cases from the Boston Marathon bombing found that rapid imaging can help minimize causalities and severe injuries after explosions.

The Boston Marathon bombing, that occurred April 15, 2013, at approximately 2:49 p.m., killed three and injured about 264 people.

"In an era of terrorism, even clinicians serving non-military patients need to understand the spectrum of injuries caused by bomb explosions. Critically ill bomb-blast patients needed quick assessments of their injuries, which had the most devastating effects to the lower limbs," Dr. Ali Guermazi, Professor of Radiology at Boston University School of Medicine said in a news release.  He was one of the many specialists who treated bombing victims at Boston Medical Center.

Injury to the soft tissue, muscles and skeleton are common types of injuries seen after a bombing event. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, primary bomb injuries are caused by blast waves, which occur when extremely compressed air moves away from the explosion site. These blast waves can damage lungs and ears.

The Boston marathon bombing left many people with severe injuries due to the blast wave and wind. Also, the bombs used shrapnel such as nails and ball bearings, which led to many people fracturing or even losing their limbs.

Researchers said that X-rays and CT scans should be used liberally during treatment of victims of civilian bombing as they might have internal trauma. Rapid imaging helps in better detection of bony and soft tissue injuries.

"While blast injuries within civilian populations are rare in the U.S., when they do occur it challenges the medical community to rapidly respond to concurrent evaluation and treatment of many victims. We suggest that in urgent situations, like the Boston Marathon bombing, radiology resources be used liberally to save the lives and limbs of patients," Dr. Guermazi.

Other experts had earlier pointed out that even those who didn't have a visible injury at the Boston bombing site might have had some mild injury to the brain that can lead to long-term neurological complications.

The study ,"Imaging of Blast Injuries to the Lower Extremities Sustained in The Boston Marathon Bombing." Ali Guermazi, Daichi Hayashi, Stacy E. Smith, William Palmer and Jeffrey N. Katz is published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research.