[Acute radiation effects in victims of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station].

Observation made over 115 patients with acute radiation sickness due to exposure to external gamma- and beta-rays confirmed high efficiency of the earlier proposed principles of prognostication of the degree of severity by clinical manifestations of the primary disease response and those of separate syndromes, using the methods of hematological and cytogenetic analyses. Out of 115 victims, 56 persons had radiation burns (RB), 17--intestinal syndrome (IS), 80--oropharyngeal syndrome (ORS), 7--interstitial radiation pneumonitis (IRP). In thanatogenesis, of prime importance were: RB (more than 40% of the body surface)--19 persons and IRP--7 persons. A severe course of intestinal and oropharyngeal syndromes was combined with other fatal manifestations of radiation injury. Early isolation of patients (II-IV stages), selective decontamination of the intestine, prescription of a wide spectrum antibiotics, antimycotic and antiviral drugs, as well as gamma-globulin could practically remove the risk of the development of fatal infectious complications during a medullary and transitory forms of radiation sickness.