Blast-related injuries from terrorism: an international perspective

Terrorism using conventional weapons and explosive devices is a likely scenario and occurs almost daily somewhere in the world. Caring for those injured from explosive devices is a major concern for acute injury care providers. Learning from nations that have experienced conventional weapon attacks on their civilian population is critical to improving preparedness worldwide. In September 2005, a multidisciplinary meeting of blast-related injury experts was convened including representatives from eight countries with experience responding to terrorist bombings (Australia, Colombia, Iraq, Israel, United Kingdom, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey). This article describes these experiences and provides a summary of common findings that can be used by others in preparing for and responding to civilian casualties resulting from the detonation of explosive devices.