Which organ is most susceptible to overpressure effects in a high-energy blast?

Which organ is most susceptible to overpressure effects in a high-energy blast?

• A. Lungs
• B. Brain
• C. Stomach
• D. Skin

Answer: (A)

In a high-energy blast, the immediate pressure wave primarily affects gas-filled organs. The lungs are most susceptible because they contain large, compliant air spaces that rapidly experience the overpressure. This can cause alveolar rupture, pulmonary contusion, edema, and pneumothorax as the wave travels through the chest. While the brain can be injured by a blast, and abdominal organs can be affected by other blast effects, the lungs bear the greatest direct impact from overpressure. The stomach and skin are less likely to suffer primary overpressure injury—the stomach is more often affected by secondary or tertiary mechanisms or by blunt trauma, and the skin tends to be damaged by debris, heat, or blunt forces rather than by the pressure wave itself. So, the lungs are the organ most susceptible to overpressure effects in a high-energy blast.

In a high-energy blast, the immediate pressure wave primarily affects gas-filled organs. The lungs are most susceptible because they contain large, compliant air spaces that rapidly experience the overpressure. This can cause alveolar rupture, pulmonary contusion, edema, and pneumothorax as the wave travels through the chest.

While the brain can be injured by a blast, and abdominal organs can be affected by other blast effects, the lungs bear the greatest direct impact from overpressure. The stomach and skin are less likely to suffer primary overpressure injury—the stomach is more often affected by secondary or tertiary mechanisms or by blunt trauma, and the skin tends to be damaged by debris, heat, or blunt forces rather than by the pressure wave itself.

So, the lungs are the organ most susceptible to overpressure effects in a high-energy blast.