Pediatric Medical Countermeasures: Antidotes and Cytokines for Radiological and Nuclear Incidents and Terrorism

Abstract

The war in Ukraine raises concerns for potential hazards of radiological and nuclear incidents. Children are particularly vulnerable in these incidents and may need pharmaceutical countermeasures, including antidotes and cytokines. Searches found no published study comparing pediatric indications and dosing among standard references detailing pediatric medications for these incidents. This study addresses this gap by collecting, tabulating, and disseminating this information to healthcare professionals caring for children. Expert consensus chose the following references to compare their pediatric indications and dosing of medical countermeasures for radiation exposure and internal contamination with radioactive materials: Advanced Hazmat Life Support (AHLS) for Radiological Incidents and Terrorism, DailyMed, Internal Contamination Clinical Reference, Medical Aspects of Radiation Incidents, and Medical Management of Radiological Casualties, as well as Micromedex, POISINDEX, and Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM). This is the first study comparing pediatric indications and dosing for medical countermeasures among commonly used references for radiological and nuclear incidents.