Thermal harm is one of the most traumatizing assaults on man and his environment. Whether suffered by living beings as burn injury, or sustained by societal structures as fire damage, the resulting physical pain and material loss can be extremely distressing both to the person and to society. The health professions and in particular burn specialists have been continually developing effective means of combating burn disease and promoting rehabili tation of the victims, especially in mass casualty situations. In parallel, various levels of the community have been mobilizing fire prevention and fire-fighting mechanisms that protect society and the environment from the ever-increasing hazards of fire disasters. It is therefore surprising that, while aiming at the same objective, the two sectors have rarely come together; doctor has rarely worked with fire chief. Yet both disciplines have so much to learn from and contribute to each other's efforts. The Mediterranean Burns Club is a professional organization that brings together persons concerned with burn therapy and fire safety in all forms, especially in the countries of the Mediterranean basin. It is honoured to have been identified by the United Nations as a premier scientific body in its field within the programme of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. It is therefore natural that it should have initiated an international gathering of specialists engaged in burns as a surgical, clinical problem, and of counterparts dealing with fires as a societal, disaster management problem.

Mass Casualty events may occur as a result of natural or human-caused disasters or after an act of terrorism. The planning and response to disasters and catastrophes needs to take into consideration the distinction between progressive and sudden events. Insidious or slowly progressive disasters produce a large number of victims but over a prolonged time period, with different peaks in the severity of patients presenting to the hospital. For example, radiation events will produce a large number of victims who will present days, weeks, months, or years after exposure, depending on the dose of radiation received. The spread of a biological agent or a pandemic will produce an extremely high number of victims who will present to hospitals during days to weeks after the initial event, depending on the agent and progression of symptoms. On the other hand, in a sudden disaster, there is an abrupt surge of victims resulting from an event such as an explosion or a chemical release. After the sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway in 1995, a total of 5500 victims were injured and required medical attention at local hospitals immediately after the attack. The car bomb that exploded near the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killed 213 people and simultaneously produced 4044 injured patients, many requiring medical care at local hospitals. The Madrid train bombing in March 2004 produced more than 2000 injured victims in minutes, overwhelming the city’s healthcare facilities. More than 500 injured patients were treated at local hospital after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Finally, earthquakes may produce a large number of victims in areas in which the medical facilities are partially or completely destroyed. Sudden events bring an immediate operational challenge to community healthcare systems, many of which are already operating at or above capacity. The pre-hospital as well as hospital planning and response to sudden mass casualty incidents (SMCI’s) is extremely challenging and requires a standard and protocol driven approach. Many textbooks have been published on Disaster Medicine; although they may serve as an excellent reference, they do not provide a rapid, practical approach for management of SMCI’s. The first edition of “Mass Casualty Incidents: The Nuts and Bolts of Preparedness and Response for Acute Disasters” dealt exclusively with sudden mass casualty incidents. The second edition will expand its focus and include planning and response for insidious and protracted disasters as well. This new book is designed to provide a practical and operational approach to planning, response and medical management of sudden as well as slow progressive events. The target audience of the second edition will be health care professionals and institutions, as well as allied organizations, which respond to disasters and mass casualty incidents. Parts I and II are essentially the first edition of the book and consist of planning of personnel, logistic support, transport of patients and equipment and response algorithms. These 2 parts will be revised and updated and include lessons learned from major mass shootings that occurred recently in the United States and other parts of the world Part III will describe the planning process for progressive disasters and include response algorithms and checklists. Part IV will handle humanitarian and mental health problems commonly encountered in disaster areas. Part V will deal with team work and communication both critical topics when handling catastrophes and mass casualty incidents. This new book will be a comprehensive tool for healthcare professionals and managers and should perform demonstrably better in sales and downloads. It will be of value at the pre-hospital as well as the hospital level, to plan and respond to the majority of catastrophes and mass casualty incidents.

The second edition of this volume provides updated information on acute burn treatment. It also discusses genomic responses to burns and novel techniques in this area. Divided into four topical parts, this book provides insights into the history, epidemiology, prevention of burns, as well as initial and pre-hospital management of burns, acute burn care and therapy, and non-thermal burns. All chapters have been edited by leading world authorities on burn care and offer readers a broad overview of the techniques and outcomes in this area. Please also have a look at "Handbook of Burns Volume 2 - Reconstruction and Rehabilitation 2nd edition".

Using an integrated, "team" approach, leading authority David N. Herndon, MD, FACS explains how to meet the clinical, physical, psychological, and social needs of every burn patient - and thus achieve optimal recovery and rehabilitation. The 3rd Edition of this definitive reference covers all of the latest advances in the treatment of burns...features new a full-color layout with new color illustrations and clinical photographs. Compiled and edited by one of the world's leading authorities on the management of patients with burns. Discusses the management of burn patients from their initial presentation through long-term rehabilitation. Addresses the clinical, physical, and social needs of the burn patient and emphasizes a multi-faceted, "team approach" to treatment. Covers how to devise integrated treatment programs for different groups of patients, such as elderly and pediatric patients. Uses color illustrations and clinical photographs throughout for the first time-incorporating the illustrative strengths of Barret & Herndon's Color Atlas of Burn Care to provide you with a single source of definitive guidance on diagnosis and management. Presents new chapters on barotrauma and inhalation injury - the tissue bank - the role of exercise - and the use of dermal templates and burn scar resurfacing. Offers fresh perspectives from more than 50% new authors. With more than 100 additional contributing experts

This is the definitive reference on disaster medicine, outlining areas of proficiency for health care professionals handling mass casualty crises.

Burns are one of the most devastating conditions encountered in medicine. The injuries affect people of all ages, both physically and psychologically, in the developed and the developing world. The correct management of burns needs a skilled multidisciplinary approach and this ABC provides an overview of the most important aspects of burn injuries for healthcare professionals. This ABC book offers a comprehensive yet accessible review of burn management. It introduces the range of burns that a GP may become involved in treating or having treated at hospital. From explanations of how burns happen, through to first aid applications, pre-hospital treatment, dressings, resuscitation and the management of deep dermal burns. It also looks at the subsequent management of burns through hyperalimentation and microbiological management, reconstruction and rehabilitation. A significant contribution to an important area of care: burns are the second most common cause of accidental death in children in the UK. Early treatment of burns is essential to avoid disablement: impact on lungs, infection and later need for plastic surgery can all be reduced by appropriate assessment and prompt treatment. Includes contributions from the UK, USA and Australia, and has a chaper on international disasters. Presented in a clear and concise manner with many illustrations, this book will appeal to a wide readership including medical students, nurses, hospital doctors, and general practitioners.

This publication seeks to provide a global overview of the nature and extent of injury mortality and morbidity in the form of user-friendly tables and charts. It is hoped that the graphical representation of the main patterns of the burden of disease due to injury will raise awareness of the importance of injuries as a public health issue and facilitate the implementation of effective prevention programs.