NLM Resource Update: Radiation Medical Emergency Management

[Editor's Note: This is a reprint of an announcement published as an NLM Toxicology and Environmental Health Information email update from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To automatically receive news on resources, services, and outreach in toxicology and environmental health please see the subscribe page.]

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Radiation Medical Emergency Management (REMM) site has been updated:

• A Decision Makers Guide: Medical Planning and Response for a Nuclear Detonation, key detailed guidance document from HHS for senior leaders managing the medical complexities of a nuclear detonation
• Links to two documents that supplement the Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation, Second Edition, 2010
• Major update of the REMM Prototype / Template for Adult and Pediatric Hospital Orders During a Radiation Emergency, one order set for adults and another for children
• The radiation detectors page has been completely redone to include much more detailed information. A new table describes and illustrates various types of detectors and their optimal use. The key references section provides new information about radiation detection devices and estimating dose in large radiation incidents when adequate detection resources may be scarce.
• The myeloid cytokines page has significant new information, including mention that Leukine (sargramostim) has been approved by the FDA for use with radiation-induced myelosuppression.
• The three key algorithms for clinical management of radiation exposure and contamination, (exposure, contamination, exposure + contamination), have been updated with new content and design.
• REMM has aggregated and updated information about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• New multimedia assets have been added to the multimedia carousel to help explained radiation and response issues.
• The Protection Actions and Protective Action Guides page has several changes, including a table comparing references values for emergency responder radiation safety.
• A printable wall poster of the Exposure and Symptom Triage Tool for assessing patients with potential radiation exposure during a large mass casualty incident
• New publications about using CBCs to estimate dose from exposure and use this information for triage
• Link on the RDD page to new monograph, Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) Response Guidance, Planning for the First 100 Minutes (DHS, NUSTL, NNSA, FEMA, November 2017)
• Radiological Operations Support Specialist (ROSS), descriptions of a new radiation incident response specialist
• Update REMM pages include:
  • Planners: Information for Radiation Emergencies including new national documents about strategies, plans, and national assets
  • Key Documents
  • Biodosimetry
  • Antiemetics
  • Fever and Neutropenia

New on the Mobile REMM app:

• A new version of the Mobile REMM app, which contains selected pages from online REMM, was released in the App Store and Google Play Store. This new version reflects the content updates published on REMM online.

REMM provides guidance for health care providers, primarily physicians, about clinical diagnosis and treatment of radiation injury during radiological and nuclear emergencies.