Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America: Bioterrorism

Military and non-military experts trained to respond to victims of terrorism in the United States present a comprehensive review of biological warfare and Bioterrorism in this edition of the Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. Individual articles address the history and threat of biological warfare and Bioterrorism; major and other threat syndromes in Bioterrorism (CDC Category A, Category B, and Category C Agents); diagnostic analyses of threat syndromes; medical management of suspected victims of Bioterrorism; management of vulnerable populations and co-morbid conditions; emergency mental health management; mass casualty triage; emergency department and hospital preparedness; preparing the community and EMS system; and the federal, state and local response. In light of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this issue is essential for every emergency medicine physician and emergency department in the United States.Includes a historical discussion of biological weapons and the evolution of the threat from the early nineteenth century to the present Discuss the agents of bioterrorism using the Centers for Disease Control's classification scheme 'Critical Biological Agents threat list - Categories A, B and C.' Category A agents pose the greatest threat to our medical and public health systems and are therefore reviewed in some depth Discuss the role of the laboratory and some of the unique medical management issues pertaining to bioterrorism Includes an article describing an algorithmic approach to managing suspected victims of bioterrorism A separate chapter is devoted entirely to emergency mental healthmanagement. Most mental health professionals predict, and research supports, that psychological casualties will vastly outnumber those patients truly exposed and may be difficult, if not impossible, to differentiate A series of articles explores the many operational issues in preparing for and responding to bioterrorism events in the emergency department and hospital, and at the local, state, and federal levels Concludes with a discussion of the profound future challenges to our efforts to stay one step ahead of those who wish us harm