'Shock lung' fear as 700 wounded pack hospitals

Hundreds of victims of the London bombings, some with burns and high-velocity puncture wounds, have packed the capital's hospitals, stretching facilities to the limit.

But many people may not be aware of how badly they may be injured, says Jim Ryan, head of University College Hospital's major incident team in central London.

He said that some of the victims may have sustained serious injuries which were not yet apparent.

"One of the features of an explosion, which we know from blasts in Northern Ireland and Israel, is a condition known as blast lung or shock lung, where people sustain a lung injury which leaks over time," he said.

"They appear fine but they slowly deteriorate," he went on.

"We have people here who were in the bus blast and appear to be well but it is important that we watch them."

Major hospitals went on alert within minutes of the first explosions in the morning rush hour.
Paramedics battled to save the most critically injured on the streets or platforms of underground rail stations. Doctors at the British Medical Association raced out to the street to treat casualties when a bus exploded outside their offices.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/around-700-wounded-pack-capitals-hospitals/2005/07/08/1120704532545.html