Definition of blanket bath

The term "blanket bath" originated during the Cold War era when NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) planned for a potential Soviet attack on Europe. The alliance recognized that hospitals and other critical infrastructure might be severely impacted by the conflict, leaving many people in need of medical attention. To address this, NATO developed a plan called "Civil Emergency Planning" that included measures to provide medical assistance to civilians during wartime. Part of the plan involved the concept of "mass casualty decontamination," which aimed to quickly remove contaminants from people who might have been exposed to chemical, biological, or radiological hazards. The decontamination process typically involved washing patients down with large quantities of water, a method that became known as "mass bathing" or "blanket bathing." The term "blanket bath" was coined because patients were often placed on long, flat surfaces covered with blankets or sheets to protect them from drafts and maintain body heat during the decontamination process. The procedure was also helpful in preventing additional contamination by preventing patients from coming into contact with contaminated surfaces. Today, the term "blanket bath" is still used in emergency medical situations to describe the process of en masse decontamination of large numbers of individuals exposed to hazardous materials.