Paediatric patients in mass casualty incidents: a comprehensive review and call to action

Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Disaster Preparedness Special Interest Group

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

The paediatric population is disproportionately affected during mass casualty incidents (MCIs). Several unique characteristics of children merit special attention during natural and man-made disasters because of their age, physiology, and vulnerability. Paediatric anaesthesiologists play a critical part of MCI care for this population, yet there is a deficit of publications within the anaesthesia literature addressing paediatric-specific MCI concerns. This narrative review article analyses paediatric MCI considerations and compares differing aspects between care provision in Australia, the UK, and the USA. We integrate some of the potential roles for anaesthesiologists with paediatric experience, which include preparation, command consultation, in-field care, pre-hospital transport duties, and emergency department, operating theatre, and ICU opportunities. Finally, we propose several methods by which anaesthesiologists can improve their contribution to paediatric MCI care through personal education, training, and institutional involvement.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e109-e119
JournalBritish journal of anaesthesia
Volume128
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2022

Keywords

  • CRBNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive)
  • paediatric MCI
  • paediatric anaesthesia
  • paediatric disaster
  • paediatric mass casualty
  • paediatric triage

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