CLINICAL INDEX OF SUSPICION

While there are no cases for radiation exposure in the DoDTR – military providers must have a clinical index of suspicion for radiation weapons on the future battlefield. The first step is management is identification and to recognize the risk of radiation weapons and RAD injury in the Area of Operations (AOR). Some patients will present immediately with a burn that was not from a flame or obvious exposure if they were close to the radiation source. The main factors that result in clinical manifestations are time of exposure, distance from source, and any shielding. Other symptoms are relatively non-specific. The severity and onset of symptoms depends on the dose received. The clinical syndromes are described in more detail later in this CPG – but clinicians may be the first to identify the use of radiation weapons based on casualties with the below (non-specific) findings.