Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40933405›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Impact of antidote quantity, timing and prehospital strategies in nerve agent mass casualty events: a simulation study.

Ruben De Rouck, Mehdi Benhassine, Michel Debacker, Filip Van Utterbeeck, Jan Vaes, Isabell Meskens, Ives Hubloue

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ruben De RouckResearch Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Mehdi BenhassineSimulation, Modelling, and Analysis of Complex Systems, Department of Mathematics, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium.
Michel DebackerResearch Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Filip Van UtterbeeckSimulation, Modelling, and Analysis of Complex Systems, Department of Mathematics, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium.
Jan VaesMedical Component of Belgian Armed Forces, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium.
Isabell MeskensMedical Component of Belgian Armed Forces, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium.
Ives HubloueResearch Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) involving nerve agents pose major challenges for emergency medical response due to rapid symptom onset, hazardous environments, and operational uncertainties. Several gaps remain in the knowledge about the prehospital response to nerve agent MCI treatment strategies and logistical decision-making. To address these gaps, this study uses Discrete Event Simulation to evaluate the impact of advanced medical stabilization (AMS) team arrival time, antidote availability, and evacuation policy on patient survival during an urban chemical-traumatic MCI with a subway sarin release scenario. Methods: A validated simulation model (SIMEDIS) was adapted to represent the full prehospital response chain, including triage, antidote administration, AMS, dry decontamination, further on-site stabilization in the forward medical post and transport to categorized hospitals. Two transport policies were modeled: Scoop&Run (rapid transport of victims to hospitals) and Stay&Play (on-site stabilization before transport). We simulated various AMS team arrival times and antidote availability scenarios to assess their impact on survival. Locations of deaths were analyzed to identify critical points of failure in the medical response chain. Results: AMS team arrival time, antidote availability, and evacuation policy significantly influenced mortality among the 25 salvageable victims. The number of deaths ranged from 8.0 (32%) in the most favorable case to 23.8 (95.2%) in the least favorable. Earlier AMS team arrival and greater antidote availability were associated with fewer deaths, particularly under the Scoop&Run policy. Stay&Play resulted in more deaths unless medical and transport capacity were significantly enhanced. Location-of-death analysis revealed preventable bottlenecks, especially during decontamination and hospital transport under the Stay&Play model. Discussion: The results highlight the importance of rapid hospital transport, swift antidote availability and administration during urban chemical MCIs. AMS team arrival time emerged as the strongest predictor of preventable mortality, showing a sigmoid-shaped curve where delays beyond 11 min led to sharp increases in death. Antidote supply showed a dose-dependent effect, but the impact diminishes with delayed administration, underscoring the need for timely delivery over sheer volume. To reduce preventable deaths in chemical MCIs, policy makers should focus on streamlining AMS team deployment, prioritizing rapid evacuation, and addressing logistical bottlenecks in decontamination and transport.

Indexed as

AntidotesChemical Warfare AgentsEmergency Medical ServicesMass Casualty IncidentsNerve AgentsComputer SimulationDecontaminationHumansSarinTime FactorsTriageAntidotesChemical Warfare AgentsNerve AgentsSarinCBRNcomputer simulationmass casualty incidentsmedical countermeasuresnerve agentssarin

Identifiers

PMID40933405
PMCPMC12417396

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.