The morbidity census among Bam earthquake rescued victims admitted to Shiraz major hospitals

earthquake, which took place on 26 December 2003, left over 40 000 people dead and around 30 000 injured. Iranian military forces in ssociation with other national and international organizations performed all the four critical medical components of the incident response: search and rescue, triage and initial stabilization, definitive mass-casualty- medical care, and evacuation. These involved the rescue of trapped victims by trained personnel, supply of military helicopters and ambulances, out-patient management of at least 4000 patients in site and transfer of 5000 of the total 12000 airlifted injured people to hospitals all over the country. Material & Methods: We studied the most common causes of morbidity in 433 rescued victims transferred to Shiraz (Southern Iran) four major hospitals (Namazi, Shahid Faghihi, Hafez and Zeynabieh hospitals) during the first days of earthquake. Results: The most common injuries were to the lower extremities (43.2%) and head and face (37.5%). Lesions of the upper extremities and abdomen/thorax occurred in 25.0% and 14.3% of the cases; respectively. The most common mode of injury was falling debris (65.2%); cutting/piercing (23.3%) and falling (11.5%) were other responsible mechanisms. Spinal cord transaction occurred in 25 cases (5.8%); the most probable mechanism was though to be incorrect positioning at the time of evacuation. Other morbidities included delayed complications of trauma caused by the earthquake particularly soft-tissue infections (5.3%), compartment syndromes (3.5%), sepsis (3.4%) and epidural haematomas (4.2%). Crush syndrome and renal failure occurred in 17 (3.9%) of cases. Discussion: The most common injuries to those admitted non-selectively to Shiraz hospitals were to the lower extremity and head and face which were predictable due to mechanisms of trauma such as falling debris and falling down. Spinal cord transaction occurred in 5.8 % of cases mostly because of incorrect positioning which can be prevented by basic education of medical staff and general population.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bam earthquake ، morbidity ، Shiraz major hospitals