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Swift and Low-Cost Surge in Chemical Threat Response: Is It Possible? The Experience of a French Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2018

Albert Brizio ,
Jean-Christophe Hubert ,
Brigitte Hennequin ,
Jeremy Bouchez  and
Marie-Clément Kouka
Albert Brizio*
Affiliation:
Centre Hospitalier de Saint Denis, Hôpital Delafontaine, Service des Urgences-SMUR, Unité du SMUR
Jean-Christophe Hubert
Affiliation:
Centre Hospitalier de Saint Denis, Hôpital Delafontaine, Service des Urgences-SMUR, Unité du SMUR
Brigitte Hennequin
Affiliation:
Centre Hospitalier de Saint Denis, Hôpital Delafontaine, Service des Urgences-SMUR, Unité du SMUR
Jeremy Bouchez
Affiliation:
Centre Hospitalier de Saint Denis, Hôpital Delafontaine, Service des Urgences-SMUR, Unité du SMUR
Marie-Clément Kouka
Affiliation:
Centre Hospitalier de Saint Denis, Hôpital Delafontaine, Service des Urgences-SMUR, Urgences
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Albert Brizio, MD, 14 Place Etienne Pernet, 75015, Paris, France (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

In 2016 France hosted the European football championship. In a context of an increased terrorist threat, Chemical, Bacteriological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) attacks were considered possible. Three days prior to the beginning of the event, the Health Authorities required that a medium sized hospital close to a major potential target, prepare a chemical decontamination centre. Despite a low level of preparedness, little external help, and very few extra resources, an efficient decontamination chain (all premises necessary for the management of contaminated victims: from the entrance gate to the post-decontamination dressing cabins) was set up in 15 days (12 days after the unrealistic deadline). Numerous practical measures allowed three persons in CBRN personal protective equipment (PPE) to manage the whole chain, providing a maximum flow of 24 persons/hour. Volunteers were trained in PPE dressing, undressing and in decontamination procedures. This experience, offers a novel paradigm in managing chemical decontamination, in terms of attitude, and with adaptations to overcome practical constraints. It demonstrates that it is possible to set up a decontamination chain rapidly at very low cost. This provides an attractive option for less advanced countries and in humanitarian contexts. Some additional refinements, enhancements may be considered to further improve results. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:649–656)

Keywords

chemical threatCBRN decontaminationhospital’s surge capacitylow cost decontamination chain
Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 12 , Issue 5 , October 2018 , pp. 649 - 656
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2018 

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