Abstract
The mechanisms and mediators of physical trauma have been intensively studied over the past three decades and have led to a better understanding of the rational management of injury both in the immediate care and longer-term intensive-care phases. Equally, there has been study of the mechanisms of toxic trauma which converge with those found in physical trauma in conditions such as the acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction.
This chapter considers the effects of exposure to toxic substances in terms of their effects on target organs of the various systems of the body. An understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of toxic trauma is essential to the rational clinical management of casualties who have been exposed to toxic chemical agents, both in the shorter and longer term. In recent years, there has been intense research into the mechanisms of toxic trauma, particularly to the respiratory and nervous systems, and there is a wealth of detailed information available in the literature. Here, we consider the essentials which have relevance to practical clinical management.
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Further Reading
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Baker, D. (2014). The Pathophysiology of Toxic Trauma. In: Toxic Trauma. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5598-0_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5598-0_6
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