Biological Effects of a Shock Wave Relating to Blast Injuries

Blast injuries are devastating both physically and psychiatrically, and the number of victims has been increasing due to recent global conflicts. In this article, current understandings of the fundamental aspects of blast injuries are reviewed concisely, where an emphasis is placed on blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) because of its unique characteristics associated with the primary mechanism, i.e., the effect of a shock wave itself. We will also describe our research on the mechanisms and modeling of bTBI using laser-induced shock waves to explore medical countermeasures.