Treatment

• The most important care the casualty receives is the care given within the first few minutes after exposure.
• Removal of the victim from the environment and decontamination should occur first.
• Support ventilation and providing an open airway are the first steps in treatment of nerve agent patients.
• High-flow oxygen should be administered to avoid an abnormal cardiac rhythm.
• Atropine, preferably through IV administration, and pralidoxime chloride may be given when advanced treatment is warranted.
• Valium may be considered for the treatment of seizures and muscle twitches. Diazepam, an anticonvulsant, may also be used.

Immediate care, including administration of antidotes, can mean the difference between survival and death in a casualty exposed to a nerve agent.

WARNING! The antidotes - atropine and diazepam - are not available to non-medical civilians. Intramuscular administration of these drugs in large doses by untrained personnel may cause serious injury or death.

Every first responder must understand the effects of nerve agents, the time period in which symptoms occur, and the correct steps required to save the exposed casualty.

Timely and accurate determination of the type of agent, and route of entry responsible for the signs or symptoms, is critical if the poisoned casualty is to survive long enough to reach adequate medical care.

After a terrorist attack nerve agents may be encountered in either vapor or liquid forms.

When more than one organ system is affected, exposure moves rapidly from mild to severe.