A-15. Management of Toxic Industrial Material Patients
a. Management. Movement of TIM casualties can spread the contamination to clean areas. All casualties are decontaminated as close to the incident site as possible. All patients must be decontaminated before they are admitted into a clean MTF. The admission of one contaminated patient into an MTF may contaminate the facility; thereby reducing its treatment capabilities.
b. Mass Casualty. A mass casualty situation is presented when the number of casualties exceeds the capabilities of medical personnel at the location to provide needed care at the incident site. Treatment at the incident site is limited to life- or limb-saving care. Patients that can survive are evacuated to the nearest MTF with a patient decontamination capability.
c. Decontamination. Decontamination is an individual and first responder responsibility. However, some individuals that self evacuated or were evacuated due to the mass casualty situation arrive at the MTF that have not been decontaminated. These individuals must be decontaminated at the MTF before they are admitted to prevent contamination of the MTF and exposure of unprotected medical personnel and other patients to the TIM. See FM 8-500 for detailed information on decontamination procedures for TIM contaminated casualties.
d. Treatment. Field Manual 8-500 provides treatment procedures for some TIM casualties. Treatment for many TIM casualties is agent specific and receiving MTFs must be prepared for these events.
EXAMPLE: Treatment for a casualty exposed to toxic levels of an inorganic phosphate pesticide would be treated in the same manner as a nerve agent casualty except the amount of antidote for the pesticide poisoned casualty will be many times greater than for the nerve agent casualty.