Open AccessMass Casualty Incident Involving Pepper Spray Exposure: Impact on the Emergency Department and Management of Casualties
Author(s) -
Oh JJ,
Yong R,
Ponampalam R,
Anantharman V,
Lim SH
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
hong kong journal of emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2309-5407
pISSN - 1024-9079
DOI - 10.1177/102490791001700407
Subject(s) - medicine , emergency department , medical emergency , emergency medicine , nausea , vomiting , mass casualty incident , poison control , injury prevention , anesthesia , nursing
Exposure to pepper spray in an urban shopping complex resulted in 13 casualties being treated at a tertiary public hospital emergency department (ED). This report describes the ED's organisation in response to the disaster, and clinical management of those affected. Results Thirteen casualties – 11 acute, 2 delayed – presented with symptoms ranging from ocular, respiratory and skin irritation to nausea, vomiting and giddiness. The culprit agent was determined basing on the index patient's history and physical findings. All cases were decontaminated at the ED's on‐site Hospital Decontamination Station. Nine adults were monitored overnight in the Emergency Observation Ward under the Toxic Inhalation Protocol and discharged well. The index case was treated symptomatically with improvement, but discharged against medical advice three hours later. No ED re‐attendances were recorded. Conclusions The effects of pepper spray exposure are brief and self‐limiting, but ED management can pose challenges in a mass casualty situation.