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Complications from Supervised Mask Use in Post-operative Surgical Patients during the Gulf War

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Avraham I. Rivkind*
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Ahmed Eid
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Efrat Weingart
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Uzzi Izhar
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Paul Barach
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Elihu D. Richter
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Howard Belzberg
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery and School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine-Disaster Medicine Section), Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California(LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
*
Department of Surgery Hadassah University Hospital POB 12000 91120 Jerusalem, Israel e-mail: rivkind@cc.huji.ac.il

Abstract

This is a report of three patients in a surgical ward of a hospital who developed complications seemingly related to the use of full-face-fitting masks associated with the first Scud Missile attack on Israel durng the Gulf War. Patient 1 developed atrial fibrillation with an uncontrolled ventricular rate; Patient 2 redeveloped a gastrointestinal hemorrhage; and Patient 3 developed a severe anxiety attack. Each of the three was severely ill prior to the event. Special attention should be given to severely ill patients during such events.

Type
Case Report
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1999

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References

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