Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5 minutes when the agent is non-persistent
and 8 minutes when a persistent or unknown
agent is involved. Discourage the patient from
rubbing too vigorously while washing. Eye
irritation may require the use of a topical
anesthetic first before irrigating.
10. The Decon Team should closely observe each
victim to ensure they are thorough in washing
themselves. Particular attention should be
made to ensure they wash the axilla, creases,
folds, and hair. Help should be offered as
necessary.
11. Once the washing is completed, each patient
should thoroughly rinse themselves (this
should require about a minute to complete).
12. Decon soap, wash cloths, brushes, and
sponges should be put into a nearby trash can
and NOT carried into the Cold Zone.
13. After the rinse/wash/rinse cycle is complete
the patient should next proceed to the towel
off area and complete drying off and leave
the towel in the trash can.
14. Following drying off, the patient should put
on the patient gown and proceed to the Triage
Officer for rapid assessment and assignment
to a Treatment Sector.
15 Additional treatment will be limited only to
those interventions deemed life saving by
the Decon Officer. Antidote administration
should be done
via
the intramuscular (IM)
route after cleaning the affected area first.
16. Decon Team members should be alert to the
possibility that an ambulatory patient may
clinically deteriorate and require immediate
removal to the Non-Ambulatory Sector
via
backboard, stretcher, or wheelchair.
Appendix 7.2 Example of Patient
Decontamination Procedure
[Source: Northern Virginia Emergency
Response Coalition. Available at: http://
www.hazmatforhealthcare.org/download/doc/misc/
Patient_Decontamination_Procedure-complete.
doc (Accessed September 2, 2003).]
Ambulatory Patients
1. Direct patient to decon sector.
2. Children should be kept with their parents if
at all possible; if no parent or older sibling is
available then a Decon Team member should
provide needed assistance to a child.
3. Patient should be given Personal Decon set
as soon as it is available and be given
rapid instructions on its use—Play the tape
recorded set of instructions, if available. The
kit stays with you as you proceed through the
process. Open up the bag—it has three parts.
Take out the plastic bags now.
4. Patient should quickly remove all clothing,
putting valuables into the clear plastic bag
and clothing into the large bag, then put both
bags into the 3rd bag and cinch tight with tag
number in pack. Patient should put numbered
tag around their neck and wear it through
decon and treatment.
5. The clothing bag should be set aside in a
secure area.
6. If staff is available, patient's name and
number should be recorded on the Patient
Decon Record.
7. Patient should continue forward into the
decon sector with remaining part of Personal
Decon Kit.
8. Patient should quickly rinse themselves from
head to toe with water using either the hand
held sprayer, garden hose, or shower head.
9. Patient should next wash with soap and
wash cloth or brush from the kit in a
systematic fashion, cleaning open wounds
first and then in a head-to-toe fashion for
Non-Ambulatory Patients
1. Patient should be brought to the Decon Sector
and tended to by a minimum of four decon
personnel.
2. Each patient should be put onto a backboard
or EMS stretcher with the pad removed.
