What is Blast injury?
{{Infobox Disease | Name = Blast injury | Image = Blast injury-lower extremities.PNG | Caption = Secondary blast injuries to both legs | DiseasesDB = | ICDw10 = | ICD9 = | ICDO = | OMIM = | MedlinePlus = | eMedicineSubj = emerg | eMedicineTopic = 63 | MeshID = D001753 }} A '''blast injury''' is an injury caused by an [[explosion|explosive blast]]. Blast injuries are divided into four main types, with a fifth type for illnesses caused by the blast, and a sixth type for the effects of [[psychological trauma]] after the blast such as [[Post-traumatic stress disorder|Post-traumatic Stress Disorder]] (PTSD).<ref>Ian Greaves, Keith Porter, Timothy J. Hodgetts, Malcolm Woollard: Emergency care: a textbook for paramedics. Saunders Ltd.; 2 edition (2006) p.218 {{ISBN|0702025860}}</ref> ==Explosions== {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = Pressure cooker bomb.jpg | width1 = 240 | caption1 = <center>'''Explosive fragment'''</center>A broken piece of a pressure cooker used to make a homemade [[bomb]] used at the [[2013 Boston Marathon bombings|2013 Boston Marathon]]. Broken pieces of a bomb sent flying by the explosion can cause blast injuries as well as the explosion itself. | image2 = IED-Redirection of blast force-FTA.jpg | width2 = 182 | caption2 = <center>'''Blast environment'''</center>Redirection of blast force of a terrorist bomb placed in public area trashcan designed to reduce risk potential. The environment in which an explosion occurs is one of the factors in determining blast injuries. }} The type of injury and how severe it is depends on different things. This includes the type of explosion, the force of the explosion, the environment where the explosion happens, and how close the person is to the explosion. An explosion results from the rapid release of energy. Explosions fall into four general categories: '''Chemical''': A chemical explosion is the result of a rapid [[chemical