An explosion occurs in an open marketplace. Among the injured, one patient has comminuted tibial and pelvic fractures after being physically hurled several metres by the blast wave and striking a parked vehicle. This injury is classified as:

• A Tertiary blast injury ✓
• B Secondary blast injury
• C Primary blast injury
• D Quaternary blast injury

Explanation

Tertiary blast injury results from displacement of the whole body by the blast wind, with harm caused when the victim strikes solid objects, producing fractures, head injury and blunt trauma. Primary injuries come from the pressure wave itself acting on gas-filled organs, secondary injuries from flying fragments, and quaternary injuries cover burns, inhalation injury and exacerbations of pre-existing disease. The mechanism here, bodily displacement followed by impact, defines the tertiary category.

Reference: Parikh's Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence and Forensic Medicine, 7th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.