Relationship between clinician documented blast exposure and pulmonary function: a retrospective chart review from a national specialty clinic

Table 1 Blast characteristics identified from chart abstraction process and resultant blast grouping assignments

Study assigned blast grouping	Overall (n = 307)		No blast (n = 208)		Single mild (n = 52)		Multiple mild (n = 47)
Blast characteristics	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Proximity to Blast
Not applicable	153	49.8	140	67.3	7	13.5	6	12.8
< 50 m	97	31.6	24	11.5	40	76.9	33	70.2
50–100 m	19	6.2	12	5.8	1	1.9	6	12.8
101–200 m	7	2.3	5	2.4	2	3.8	0	0.0
> 200 m	19	6.2	15	7.2	2	3.8	2	4.3
Missing data	12	3.9	12	5.8	0	0.0	0	0.0
Number of sub-concussive blasts
Not applicable	71	23.1	70	33.7	0	0.0	1	2.1
0	89	29.0	62	29.8	17	32.7	10	21.3
1	11	3.6	6	2.9	4	7.7	1	2.1
> 1	111	36.2	45	21.6	31	59.6	35	74.5
Missing data	25	8.1	25	12.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
Number of concussive blasts
0	208	67.8	208	100.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
1	52	16.9	0	0.0	52	100.0	0	0.0
2	12	3.9	0	0.0	0	0.0	12	25.5
≥ 3	35	11.4	0	0.0	0	0.0	35	74.5
Missing data	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
TBI symptoms
Absent	208	67.8	208	100.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
Mild	98	31.9	0	0.0	52	100.0	46	97.9
Moderate	1	0.3	0	0.0	0	0.0	1	2.1
Missing data	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
PTSD associated with blast
Not applicable	31	10.1	24	11.5	4	7.7	3	6.4
Yes	26	8.5	9	4.3	12	23.1	5	10.6
Maybe	61	19.9	25	12.0	16	30.8	20	42.6
No	102	33.2	66	31.7	18	34.6	18	38.3
Missing data	87	28.3	84	40.4	2	3.8	1	2.1
Blast related symptoms or injury*
Not applicable	198	64.5	171	82.2	15	28.8	12	25.5
Primary	30	9.8	6	2.9	11	21.2	13	27.7
Secondary	6	2.0	1	0.5	3	5.8	2	4.3
Tertiary	25	8.1	3	1.4	13	25.0	9	19.1
Quaternary	23	7.5	2	1.0	10	19.2	11	23.4
Missing data	25	8.1	25	12.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
Physically moved by blast
Not applicable	89	29.0	88	42.3	0	0.0	1	2.1
Yes	45	14.7	5	2.4	23	44.2	17	36.2
No	147	47.9	89	42.8	29	55.8	29	61.7
Missing data	26	8.5	26	12.5	0	0.0	0	0.0

*According to CDC blast injury definitions [18]. TBI traumatic brain injury, PTSD posttraumatic stress disorder

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