Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-pdxrj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-08T03:00:04.521Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Emergency Management of Earthquake-Related Thoracic Trauma After the 2023 Türkiye Earthquakes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2025

Ömer Taşkın Open the ORCID record for Ömer Taşkın [Opens in a new window] ,
Sevcan Seçinti Open the ORCID record for Sevcan Seçinti [Opens in a new window] ,
İsmail C. Karacaoğlu Open the ORCID record for İsmail C. Karacaoğlu [Opens in a new window] ,
Nezihat R. Dişel Open the ORCID record for Nezihat R. Dişel [Opens in a new window]  and
Ayça Açıkalın Akpınar Open the ORCID record for Ayça Açıkalın Akpınar [Opens in a new window]
Ömer Taşkın*
Affiliation:
Emergency Service, Yüreğir State Hospital, Adana, Türkiye
Sevcan Seçinti
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
İsmail C. Karacaoğlu
Affiliation:
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
Nezihat R. Dişel
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
Ayça Açıkalın Akpınar
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
*
Correspondence: Ömer Taşkın, MD Yüreğir State Hospital Serinevler Mahallesi Ege Bagatur Cd No:23601240 Yuregir/Adana, Türkiye E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

Patients with thoracic trauma require rapid decision making and early intervention, especially during natural disasters when the influx of patients complicates hospitalization decisions. Identifying the characteristics of these patients can improve triage protocols, optimize resource allocation, and enhance outcomes in future disaster scenarios.

Study Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of hospitalized patients after the February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and to contribute to Disaster Medicine.

Methods:

This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital’s emergency department (ED) located in the earthquake area. All patients over 18 years old with earthquake-related thoracic trauma were included. Demographic information, mechanisms of injury, associated injuries, laboratory results, and treatments were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups: discharged and hospitalized.

Results:

The study included 179 patients, with a median age of 45 years. Overall, 80.4% were trapped under debris, and 43.8% were rescued on the first day. Hospitalization rates were higher in patients trapped under debris and those rescued after the first day. Blunt thoracic trauma was observed in 95.5% of patients. One hundred and three patients (57.5%) underwent Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (E-FAST) in the ED, 152 patients (84.9%) underwent x-ray, and 129 patients (72.1%) underwent computed tomography (CT). Imaging studies revealed rib fractures in 49.7% and lung parenchymal injuries in 48.6% of patients. Patients with lung parenchymal injury had higher hospitalizations rates. Hospitalized patients had higher levels of white blood cells (WBCs), potassium, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, creatinine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-myocardial band (CKMB), and troponin I.

Conclusion:

This study highlights the prevalence of blunt thoracic trauma and the importance of imaging in the assessment of thoracic injuries following earthquakes. While few patients needed surgery, many required hospitalizations and had abnormal laboratory results, emphasizing the need for careful monitoring for complications like muscle damage and infection.

Keywords

crush syndromeE-FASTearthquakehospitalizationthoracic trauma
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , First View , pp. 1 - 6
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ozel, M, Tatliparmak, AC, Cetinkaya, R, et al. Earthquake-related isolated blunt thoracic trauma patients: a special population study in the emergency department. Am J Emerg Med. 2024;75:148–153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sato, K, Kobayashi, M, Ishibashi, S, et al. Chest injuries and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Respir Investig. 2013;51(1):24–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elgin, LB, Appel, SJ, Grisham, D, et al. Comparisons of trauma outcomes and injury severity score. J Trauma Nurs. 2019;26(4):199–207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martínez Casas, I, Amador Marchante, MA, Paduraru, M, et al. Thorax trauma severity score: is it reliable for patient’s evaluation in a secondary level hospital? Bull Emerg Trauma. 2016;4(3):150–155.Google Scholar
Çukurova Üniversitesi Inşaat Ve Jeoloji Mühendisliği Bölümleri. 6 Şubat 2023 Pazarcık Ve Elbistan (Kahramanmaraş) Depremleri (Mw 7,8- Mw 7,6) Sonrasi Adana İlinde Yıkılan Binaları Zemin Ve Yapı Olarak İnceleme Ön Raporu. Adana’da Yıkılan Binalar, 06 Şubat 2023 DEPREMİ. https://jeoloji.cu.edu.tr/storage/Duyurular/deprem02.pdf. Published May 2023. Accessed May 28, 2024.Google Scholar
Hatay’da büyük yıkım | Kurtarma çalışması yetersiz, temel ihtiyaçlar giderilmiyor. Evrensel gazetesi, 2023. https://www.evrensel.net/haber/481232/hatayda-buyuk-yikim-kurtarma-calismasi-yetersiz-temel-ihtiyaclar-giderilmiyor. Accessed May 28, 2024.Google Scholar
Sarı, H, Özel, M, Akkoç, MF, et al. First-week analysis after the Turkey earthquakes: demographic and clinical outcomes of victims. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2023;38(3):294–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ciflik, KB, Beyoglu, MA, Sahin, MF, et al. Analysis of thoracic trauma patients transferred to Türkiye’s largest hospital after Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2024;30(1):33–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, J, Guo, Y-Q, Zhang, E-Y, et al. Chest injuries associated with earthquakes: an analysis of injuries sustained during the 2008 Wen-Chuan earthquake in China. Surgery Today. 2010;40(8):729–733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bulut, M, Fedakar, R, Akkose, S, et al. Medical experience of a university hospital in Turkey after the 1999 Marmara earthquake. Emerg Med J. 2005;22(7):494–498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Akoglu, H, Celik, OF, Celik, A, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of the Extended Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma (E-FAST) performed by emergency physicians compared to CT. Am J Emerg Med. 2018;36(6):1014–1017.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kowalczyk, D, Turkowiak, M, Piotrowski, WJ, et al. Ultrasound on the frontlines: empowering paramedics with lung ultrasound for dyspnea diagnosis in adults-a pilot study. Diagnostics (Basel). 2023;13(22):3412.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khalil, PA, Merelman, A, Riccio, J, et al. Randomized controlled trial of point-of-care ultrasound education for the recognition of tension pneumothorax by paramedics in prehospital simulation. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(1):74–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Disel, NR, Taskin, O, Daglioglu, G, et al. Factors affecting the mortality of February earthquakes victims in Türkiye. Am J Emerg Med. 2024;77:115–120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed