Following an explosion, a person sustained burns to the face and chest. What type of blast injury is this?

Appeared in: INI-CET EXAM -2026

Explanation

Quaternary blast injuries are a miscellaneous category that includes all explosion-related injuries not covered by the first three categories.
This category specifically includes thermal injuries (burns), chemical or toxic exposure, radiation, and the exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions like asthma or COPD.
The patient's burns to the face and chest are a direct result of the explosion's thermal effects, placing them in the quaternary category.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Primary blast injuries are caused by the direct effect of the pressure wave on gas-filled organs.
Option B: Secondary blast injuries are caused by penetrating or blunt trauma from flying debris (projectiles) energized by the explosion.
Option C: Tertiary blast injuries occur when the force of the blast throws the victim against a stationary object.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Classification of blast injuries helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
In a mass casualty incident involving an explosion, nurses must rapidly assess for all four types of blast injuries, as a single patient can have multiple injury patterns.
A primary survey (ABCDE) is crucial. Airway burns (quaternary) can cause rapid swelling and obstruction, a tension pneumothorax (primary) can cause respiratory collapse, and massive hemorrhage from shrapnel (secondary) can lead to shock.
What if? If the question stated the person had multiple deep lacerations from flying glass after the explosion, the injury would be classified as a secondary blast injury.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the specific injury described in the question stem, which is 'burns to the face and chest'.
Next, recall the classification system for blast injuries: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary.
Systematically match the injury type (burns) to its correct category.
Remember: Primary = Pressure wave. Secondary = Shrapnel/Projectiles. Tertiary = Thrown/Impact. Quaternary = Other (including burns, toxins).
Since burns fall into the 'other' category, select Quaternary blast injury as the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Classification of blast injuries
Stem keywords: explosion, burns, face, chest, blast injury
Lead-in keywords: What type
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QZ9kiEqj_Alos6TYtqHh7L

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 1779-1781

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