Assessment of Likely Mass Casualty Events and Potential Hospital Impact

A mass casualty event may be an obvious event such as a bomb blast. Instantaneous events such as explosive or chemical attacks are very recognizable and typically swift in producing large numbers of casualties. A mass casualty event (MCE), by definition, is a public health emergency involving multiple patients that overwhelms local resources. A mass casualty event may simply be the result of a multiple victim motor vehicle accident (MVA) or it could be a terrorist chemical agent attack. Without a well-trained and effective HERT in place, they very quickly may be overwhelmed with patients. The HERT is a critical part of a healthcare facility's response to an MCE. Its special function as part of a hospital's surge response to an MCE is largely founded on its training in the concepts reviewed in this chapter, including hospital emergency response organization, use of hospital resources, planning and preparation for all types of MCEs, as well as those that are of high likelihood and/or high consequence. Also reviewed in this chapter is material about specific types of MCEs, including those resulting from chemical, biological, radiological and explosive events, both accidental and those that are the result of deliberate acts of terrorism.