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Self Test

Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism:
Medical Response to Mass Casualties

Self Test

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Instructions

You are about to take a Self Test on the material presented in this activity. Answer all of the questions .

The majority of self-referred patients arriving at hospitals following a Radiological Dispersal Device (dirty bomb) incident will most likely need medical attention for:

Acute radiation syndrome (ARS)

Internal contamination

Psychological trauma

Major trauma

Following an incident involving a Radiological Exposure Device, or hidden radioactive source, thousands could feasibly require:

Treatment for thermal burns

Post mortem decontamination

Treatment for ARS

Radiation exposure screening

Hospital emergency response planning for mass casualties should include consideration of:

Individual hospital surge capacity

Local government emergency response plans

State resources for equipment and supplies

All of the above

Establishing immediate medical response to a radiological event with mass casualties should include:

Obtaining radiation meters

Contacting in-house radiation professionals

Establishing areas for decontamination

All of the above

Which of the following statements about the process of radiological decontamination is true?

The decontamination process can cease when all visible particles are removed.

Chemical suits with N-95 masks are required for staff protection.

Patients with life-threatening injury must be decontaminated before treatment.

Hospitals should have policies that include performing radiological decontamination inside the facility.

The first step in radiological decontamination is:

Removing the patient’s clothes

Cleansing wounds

Gently cleaning the skin

Cleansing facial orifices

Hospital triage of mass casualties following a radiological event should take into account the expectation that:

Most patients will arrive as self-referrals to the nearest hospital

The majority of patients arriving at the hospital will be decontaminated at the scene

External contamination will be difficult to detect

Conventional triage for traumatic injury will not be used

Time to emesis following exposure to a radiological source can be used to measure:

External contamination

Internal contamination

Radiation dose

Effectiveness of decontamination

A contamination survey with a radiation meter can:

Be easily performed without training

Quantify the radiation dose received by the patient

Produce readings in counts per minute (cpm)

Only detect large amounts of contamination

The most useful diagnostic test in determining significant radiation injury in the first 24 hours post radiation exposure is:

Sequential CBCs with differential

Bioassay testing of urine samples

Bioassay testing of fecal samples

Chromosomal aberration biodosimetry

Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) may cause which of the following symptoms:

Vomiting

Headache

Diarrhea

All of the above

Following ingestion of cesium¹³⁷, which of the following drugs would assist in eliminating the cesium from the body?

Potassium Iodide

Prussian Blue

DTPA

Filgrastim

A patient arrives following exposure to a hidden radiation source. A radiological survey indicates normal background readings. Which of the following statements are accurate?

In this situation, standard precautions PPE must be worn in order to protect caregivers from contamination

A surgical mask may be worn in this situation, but an N-95 mask is preferred.

Patient clothes should be removed immediately and double bagged

None of the above

Which of the following injuries may result following explosion of an improvised nuclear device?

Blindness

Radiation burns

Thermal burns

All of the above

Which of the following actions would be appropriate in treating patients who are experiencing psychological trauma following a radiological event:

Counseling patients on long-term health effects

Having trained counselors on site

Providing information on radiological exposure

All of the above

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