Summary: The ever-present menace of employing weapons of mass destruction during military conflicts or terrorist attacks requires thorough preparation of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), medical hubs (MHs), and hospitals for such CBRNE threats. Preparing to respond to the use of CBRNE weapons demonstrates notable gaps in pre-hospital and hospital procedures. The potential influx of casualties from contaminated areas (hot zones) to emergency departments (EDs) or medical hubs (MHs) would require rapid detection and identification of CBRNE agents. The research aimed to design new procedures for the rapid detection and identification of CBRNE agents directly at the patient’s bedside (CBRNE Point of Care Testing). The study was conducted over three years. Tests of the portable detection devices and simulations of CBRNE incidents were conducted as part of it. In total, twenty-one simulations and seven special tests to assess the new procedures were completed. The assessment of the capabilities of portable detection equipment, detection and identification methods, as well as AI-supported CBRNE triage protocols, helped to develop new procedures for EMS, MHs, and EDs. These new procedures allow for rapid detection and identification of hazardous materials (biological, chemical, radiation/nuclear) precisely at the place where medical assistance is provided. The AI-supported rapid detection and identification of CBRNE agents on/in the victim’s body helps to determine the scale of contamination (external and internal) and its potential adverse impact on the victim and the medical personnel’s organisms. In turn, the procedures following the CBRNE detection and identification accelerate the application of medical countermeasures and specialist treatment. The implementation of CBRNE medicine procedures and equipping the EMS/MHs/EDs with portable diagnostic equipment (CBRNE Point of Care Testing instruments) increases the safety of medical staff and the responsiveness of the Medical Rescue System to CBRNE threats.
Trzos et al. (Sun,) studied this question.