AUTHOR=Xu Shan , Shi Bo , Yuxian Jianbo , He Mei , Yang Pei , Xu Weiyun , Liu Gang , Song Zhongjin , Du Xiaobo , Wang Dong 

TITLE=Comparative Analysis of the Wounded in Patients and Deaths in a Hospital Following the Three Major Earthquakes in Western China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.775130

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.775130

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The purpose of this study was to analyze injury characteristics of patients and therapeutic strategy for patients injured in the last three big earthquakes in China, so as to provide a reference for improvement of emergency plans for earthquakes. The analysis was based on the data provided by the Mianyang Central Hospital (MCH) from May 12th, 2008 to September 26th, 2017. Microsoft EXCEL software was used for data input, and SPSS was used for statistical analysis. A total of 1390 earthquake-related patients were hospitalized in MCH. Most patients were admitted to the hospital within the first 2 weeks after the earthquake. Main causes for seismic injuries involved hit/strike by objects or building collapse /burying. Extremity fractures accounted for most injuries, especially 3 days after an earthquake. But soft tissue injuries cannot be neglected. Most earthquake patients were mainly treated by means of surgery and majority were related to orthopedics. We found that in different areas, population and religion needed a tailored approach to the rescue effort. Therefore, Earthquake magnitude scale has a significant influence on mechanisms，types and severity of injury of patients injured in earthquakes，as well as their timely transfer，management and prognosis. Traumatic injuries are very common and thereby various surgical procedures especially orthopedic and neurosurgery are the domain of treatment modalities. Disaster preparedness and combined surgical team effort needs to be focused to reduce both mortality and morbidity.