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Use of a Nerve Agent Antidote-Dosing Tool for Mass Casualty Incident Emergency Preparedness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2023

Chanie Wassner Open the ORCID record for Chanie Wassner [Opens in a new window] ,
Kashif Creary ,
Johanna Miele ,
Caitlin Flynn  and
Ian Wittman
Chanie Wassner*
Affiliation:
NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, Department of Pharmacy, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Kashif Creary
Affiliation:
NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Johanna Miele
Affiliation:
NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Caitlin Flynn
Affiliation:
NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Ian Wittman
Affiliation:
NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooklyn, New York, USA
*
Corresponding author: Chanie Wassner, Email: cwassner1@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Objective:

Nerve agent attacks pose a serious threat worldwide and ensuring optimal readiness is essential to management. We review a mass casualty incident (MCI) drill in a busy urban New York City Emergency Department incorporating an antidote-dosing tool.

Methods:

Emergency Management and Preparedness planned an MCI drill involving a nerve agent exposure and engaged the pharmacy department to participate on a more comprehensive level. The clinical pharmacist prepared a treatment tool with antidote dosing recommendations to distribute to team members participating in the drill.

Results:

During the launch of the exercise, all clinicians involved reviewed the antidote-dosing tool with the pharmacy team members. Because of the ease of use, limited time was necessary to review the dosing tool before the start of the exercise. After the exercise, feedback regarding the use of the tool was very positive and participants appreciated the tool for use in a theoretical emergency that they have had limited experience managing.

Conclusions:

Optimizing team preparedness with accessible and practical dosing tools may be a helpful addition to emergency preparedness for chemical and biological events with the potential for many casualties.

Keywords

mass casualty incidentnerve agentsdisaster planningemergency preparednessantidotes
Type
Responder Tools
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e337
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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