A blast injury is a type of physical trauma which results from direct or indirect exposure to an explosion.
Blast injuries can range from internal organ injuries, including lung and traumatic brain injury (TBI), to extremity injuries, burns, hearing, and vision injuries.
For example if you were injured as a result of a bomb exploding and you got injured from debris that could be considered a blast injury or if you were injured as a result of the explosion itself and survive that would also be a blast injury.
The most common primary blast injuries include: blast lung—pulmonary barotraumas. head—traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion. ear—tympanic membrane (eardrum) rupture.
The four basic mechanisms of blast injury are termed as primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.
Blast injuries are also caused by the indirect impact from a pressure wave generated by an explosion.
The explosion causes an instant rise in pressure, which creates a blast wave.
This wave starts at the site of the explosion and travels outward.
Quaternary blast injury is everything else not caused by primary, secondary or tertiary mechanisms.
Examples include burns, angina, crush injuries, asthma or COPD exacerbations due to dust, smoke or toxic fumes.
A primary blast injury is caused solely by the direct effect of blast overpressure on tissue.
Air is easily compressible, unlike water.
As a result, a primary blast injury almost always affects air-filled structures, such as the lung, ear, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract.