Medical Response Subcommittee
Health physicists play a major role in medical radiological emergency response. Preparedness will ensure that treatment of life-threatening injuries or medical conditions takes priority over surveys for and removal of radioactive contamination. Hospital emergency planning, training, and drills will instill confidence in the staff to manage these emergencies.
The Medical Response Subcommittee members are:
Jerrold T. Bushberg, PhD, DABMP, Chair
Isaf Al-Nabulsi, Ph.D., DOE
Marcia Hartman, M.S., UC Davis Health System
Amir Huda, Ph.D., California State University Fresno
Linda Kroger, M.S., UC Davis Health System
John Lanza, M.D., MD, PhD, MPH, FAAP; Florida County Health Department
Edwin Leidholdt, Ph.D., Western Region Veterans Affairs
Steve Maheras, Ph.D., CHP, Battelle
Carol Marcus, M.D., UCLA
Miles McCord, Ph.D., Howard University
Kevin Nelson, Ph.D. Mayo Clinic
Glenn Reeves, M.D., DTRA
CM Wood, consultant
The Web sites and other documents listed below are useful references on the medical response to a radiological emergency:
A new presentation is available, Hospital Response Following a Terrorist Event Involving Radioactive Material.
The presentation "Emergency Department Management of Radiation Casualties" was prepared by the Health Physics Society for hospital staff training. Comments may be sent to Jerrold T. Bushberg, PhD, at jtbushberg@ucdavis.edu.
Past HPS President Kevin Nelson presented Medical Reponse Plan and a Poster at his chapter visits.
The Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) provides training, guidance, and assistance in the medical management of radiation incidents. REAC/TS team of physicians, nurses, health physicists, radiobiologists, and emergency coordinators is prepared to provide around-the-clock assistance on the local, national, or international level. The 24-hour emergency telephone number for REAC/TS is 1-865-576-1005.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has many resource documents to assist hospitals for radiation emergency response. Of particular interest are:
The Radiation Event Medical Management (REMM) Web site provides guidance for health care providers, primarily physicians, about clinical diagnosis and treatment during mass casualty radiological/nuclear (rad/nuc) events.
The mission of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is to improve the health and safety of communities across the country by organizing and utilizing public health, medical, and other volunteers. MRC units are community-based and function as a way to locally organize and utilize volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year.
ARTICLES & REPORTS
Nuclear/radiological terrorism: Emergency department management of radiation casualties is a recent journal article. (Bushberg JT, Kroger LA, Hartman MB, Leidholdt EM Jr, Miller KL, Derlet R, Wraa C. J Emerg Med. 2007 Jan;32(1):71-85. [PubMed Citation])
Disaster Preparedness for Radiology Professionals: A Primer for Radiologists, Radiation Oncologists, and Medical Physicists was prepared by the ACR, ASTRO, and AAPM.
The Armed Forces Radiobiological Research Institute (AFRRI) provides a pocket guide and Medical Management of Radiological Casualties that contain guidance on the medical management of radiation incidents. Emergency (24 hours): 301-295-0530
"Management of Persons Accidentally Contaminated with Radionuclides" National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) Report No. 65 provides information on the management of internal contamination in patients.
Medical Management of Radiation Accidents, by Fred A. Mettler, Angelina K. Guskova, Igor A. Gusev (Eds), is an excellent book on medical management that includes many case studies of accidents. (2nd Edition, ISBN: 0849370043 [April 2001], University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
The Department of Homeland Security Working Group on RDD Preparedness has prepared a document summarizing Medical Preparedness and Response, which addresses medical guidelines, psychological aspects of an RDD/IND event, and medical countermeasures.
Public Protection from Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Terrorism, edited by Allen Brodsky, Raymond H. Johnson, and Ronald E. Goans is the syllabus of the 2004 HPS summer school. Preview the chapter on hospital response.
Operational Radiation Safety has published an article, Health Physics Considerations in Medical Radiation Emergencies, (Health Phys. 87:2; S19-S24, 2004) describing many issues to address in preparing for and handling radiation emergencies. It includes a wall chart that can be used in the ER describing the procedures for handling medical emergencies (printed copies of the wall chart can be obtained from Ken Miller at kmiller@psu.edu).
"Dirty Bomb Pills, Shots, Weeds, and Spells," written by Armin Ansari, PhD, CHP, describes several pharmaceuticals and homeopathic remedies that have made the news as "anti-radiation pills" or "radiation antidotes."
