Possible radiation injury at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. Organization of medical care.

Any injured patient from Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will be treated in the conventional manner as an acute surgical emergency; this has priority over decontamination. The ideal situation is decontamination at Koeberg before ambulance transferral to the Tygerberg Radiation Casualty Facility, but if this is not possible or complete, decontamination can be accomplished by a trained team in the unit. Teamwork is the essence at the place of injury, during transfer, in the decontamination area, in the operating theatre and during the postoperative phase. No surgical management is appropriate or complete without the very necessary guidance and advice from a physicist and the Advisory Group for Radiation Casualties.