Boston's Medical Response A Global Model

10:00

April 23, 2013

In this Monday, April 15, 2013 file photo, emergency personnel assist a wounded person on the sidewalk after an explosion at the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston. In a rebuttal to the terrorists and a tribute to stellar medical care, all of the more than 180 people injured in the Boston Marathon blasts one week ago who made it to a hospital alive now seem likely to survive. (AP Photo/Kenshin Okubo, File)

Last week's bombings resulted in three deaths and some 200 injuries.

As tragic as this even was for many, the death rate was surprisingly low.

According to a 2010 study by the Israeli National Trauma Registry, explosions in civilian settings are three times deadlier than those in combat, mainly because civilians tend to range widely in age and in health and most notably, because civilians don't wear body armor.

So how is it that the death toll last Monday wasn't higher?

This morning, the leading medical journal "The Lancet" praised Boston's response to the bombings, calling it an example for the global medical community. We take a closer look at the medical response.

Guests

Martha Bebinger, WBUR Reporter

Chief Jimmy Hooley, Boston EMS

This segment aired on April 23, 2013.