In: Nursing
CHEMICAL AGENTS | SYMPTOMS | TREATMENT |
PROGNOSIS |
BLISTER like nitrogen mustard, phosgene oxide, and sulfur mustard | Burning , upper airway sloughing., tearing, itching, vomiting, shortness of breath, pulmonary edema, and nausea, |
Mustard no antidote, lewisite – British Anti-Lewisite and supportive care. |
It can cure sometime completely but sometime it returns on the same spot in tweeks, months or even years after the first blisters spot appear. |
BLOOD AGENTS like Cyanogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide | lightheadedness,cyanosis, fatigue, headache,hypotension, loss of consciousness, Convulsions, metabolic acidosis, palpitations, hyperventilation, nausea, vomiting, metabolic acidosis,death in few minutes | amyl nitrite inhalant 0.3 mL (12 ampules), sodium thiosulfate injection – 12.5 g/50 mL (2 vials), sodium nitrate – 300 mg/10 mL (2 ampules), 100% O2, amyl nitrite inhalant 0.3 mL (12 ampules), and hydroxocobalamin 5 g | stronger and longer-lasting symptoms. |
CHOKING AGENTSlike Chlorine, chloropicrin | Chest tightness, dermal irritation, laryngospasm, mucosal irritation, pulmonary edema, shortness of breath, and wheezing |
Manage secretions, oxygen, intubate and treat pulmonary edema with PEEP to maintain pO2 greater than 60 mm Hg. High-dose steroids for the treatment pulmonary edema for nitrogen oxide. |
The permanent damage to the lung tissues and heart failure |
INCAPACITATIONlike BZ , LSD | Confusion, tachycardia, skin burns ,dizzy, hypertension, runny nose, shortness of breath, tremors . | Flush eyes and skin, treat symptomatically . | temprerory and not lethal effect . |
The above table consist the chemical agents that are possibly encounter as a result of a terrorist act . The symptoms , precautions and treatment are also mentioned above .