Blast injuries, including blast-induced neurotrauma (BINT), are caused by blast waves generated during an explosion. Due to frequent use of explosives both in military and industry, blast injuries show an increasing trend. As the pathobiology and progress of these injuries are extremely complex and unique, there is a pressing need for better understanding the mechanisms of blast-body interactions and their biological consequences. The translational value of experimental biomedical research addressing blast injuries fully depends on the experimental models' capacity to replicate clinically relevant conditions; this in turn hinges on adequate understanding of blast physics. Nevertheless, often, there is a miscommunication between blast physicists, engineers and biomedical researchers mainly due to different professional terminology and limited understanding of biological/physiological or physical principles, respectively. This review provides a short overview on the physical mechanisms of the blast wave-body interactions and the biological effects of such interactions.
background-oriented schlieren, flow visualization, high-speed imaging, blast wave structure, PETN