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Combined Radiation and Thermal Injury After Nuclear Attack

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Treatment of Radiation Injuries

Abstract

The explosion of nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 dramatically changed the potential for thermally injured casualties as a result of warfare. Except for isolated radiation accidents over the ensuing years, little practical experience has been gained in the treatment of thermal injuries associated with radiation or nuclear warfare. In this chapter, we discuss the current status of burn care, review experimental animal data regarding combined injury of burns and radiation, and correlate the findings with the need to triage thermal injuries under the conditions of nuclear warfare.

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© 1990 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Becker, W.K., Buescher, T.M., Cioffi, W.G., McManus, W.F., Pruitt, B.A. (1990). Combined Radiation and Thermal Injury After Nuclear Attack. In: Browne, D., Weiss, J.F., MacVittie, T.J., Pillai, M.V. (eds) Treatment of Radiation Injuries. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0864-3_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0864-3_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0866-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0864-3

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