Evaluation of patients wounded in the 17 August 1999 Marmara earthquake

This study describes the experience of Kartal Research and Training Hospital in the Marmara Earthquake. We reviewed medical records of 698 patients admitted to our hospital in a 30 days' period after the earthquake and analysed the types of injuries, treatment, morbidity and mortality rates. The hospitalized 273 patients were grouped according to the major injury; patients with crush syndrome were analysed separately. The most frequent injuries were crush injury (23.1%), extremity fractures (16.8%) and pelvis and spine injuries (16.1%). More than two system injuries were seen most frequently in the abdominal injury (45.5%), crush injury (24.4%), and pelvis and spine injury (27.3%) groups (p < 0.05). Overall mortality rate was 7.3%. The highest mortality rates were seen in the abdominal injury (27.3%) and crush injury (20%) groups (p < 0.05). 61.9% of the patients with crush syndrome underwent fasciotomy due to the compartment syndrome; hemodialysis was performed in 31 patients. The most serious problem with earthquake is organization in the earthquake area, between hospitals and in hospitals. Crush injury is the major injury seen earthquakes. Early diagnosis and proper treatment should be done to improve survival.