The Role of the Anesthesiologist in the Response to Mass Casualty Catastrophic Events

Disasters are catastrophic events that overwhelm a community’s emergency response capacity, threatening public health and the environment [1]. Although disaster medicine is rapidly developing as a distinct discipline, it lacks a commonly accepted definition. Initially, the focus of disaster medicine was centered on the response to a catastrophic event with the intent to provide the greatest good for the greatest number [2, 3]. Traditionally, disasters have been thought of as natural in cause. Disaster physicians then must be prepared to fulfill a number of critical professional roles – rapid assessment of the health needs of affected populations, logistic and communication concerns, prioritization of airlifted medical resources, and patient triage and medical care – and have the political skills necessary to successfully work with a variety of local, state, federal, and international relief agencies [4].