Clinical Framework and Medical Countermeasure Use During an Anthrax Mass-Casualty Incident

This report can help clinicians, hospital administrators, state and local health officials, and planners develop crisis protocols for an anthrax mass casualty incident. The authors share a clinical framework for the adaptation of existing evidence-based guidance and rational use of stockpiled medical countermeasures for the treatment of anthrax during a mass-casualty incident that triggers a shift to contingency or crisis standards of care. This framework addresses elements of hospital-based acute care (e.g., prioritization of antitoxins, intravenous antimicrobial use, and the diagnosis and management of common anthrax-specific complications).