# Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective (EXTRACCT) Clinical Practice Guideline: Resuscitation of Pediatric Blast Injury Patient

## TL;DR

This paper presents a clinical guideline for rescuing children injured by explosions in low-resource areas, where data and resources are limited.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a new clinical practice guideline tailored for pediatric blast injuries in resource-limited settings.

## Key findings

- The guideline addresses specific challenges in resuscitating children with blast injuries in low-resource environments.
- Current recommendations are limited by a lack of data on pediatric blast victims.
- Future research, including a blast injury registry and clinical trials, is needed to improve care.

## Abstract

Children living in conflict or post‐conflict zones are frequently exposed to explosive injuries, with thousands killed and injured every year. The clinical practice guideline from the Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective (EXTRACCT) group provides a review of current best practice for the resuscitation of a child who has sustained a blast injury in low‐resource settings.

An expert literature review of current practice was undertaken.

The guideline relates to the specific considerations of pediatric resuscitation of a child with a blast injury in low‐resource settings. It aims to provide guidance to all health care professionals working in resource‐constrained, secondary‐level healthcare contexts. It takes into consideration clinical decision‐making and treatment algorithms where resource availability is limited with respect to equipment and materials, subspecialist expertise, and critical care capabilities.

The strength of the CPG recommendations is limited by a lack of data on pediatric blast victims. Future work is required, including establishing a blast injury victim registry and clinical trials on blast injury management strategies.

Children living in conflict or post‐conflict zones are frequently exposed to explosive injuries, with thousands killed and injured every year. The clinical practice guideline from the Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective (EXTRACCT) group provides a review of current best practice for the resuscitation of a child who has sustained a blast injury in low‐resource settings.