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Injury Patterns and Outcomes of Victims After the 2016 Jiangsu Tornado in China: A Retrospective Analysis of Injuries Treated at a Teaching Hospital

Part of: Tornadoes collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2019

Gen hua Mu ,
Xing Li ,
Shan shan Hou ,
Zhong qian Lu  and
Yi jun Deng
Gen hua Mu
Affiliation:
Emergency and Critical Care Center, Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital, Yancheng224005, China
Xing Li
Affiliation:
Emergency and Critical Care Center, Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital, Yancheng224005, China
Shan shan Hou
Affiliation:
Pharmacy Department, Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
Zhong qian Lu
Affiliation:
Emergency and Critical Care Center, Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital, Yancheng224005, China
Yi jun Deng*
Affiliation:
Emergency and Critical Care Center, Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital, Yancheng224005, China
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Yi jun Deng, Emergency and critical care center, Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital, No. 66 Renmin South Road, Yancheng 224005, China (e-mail: dengyj2003@163.com).
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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study is to characterize the injury profiles and outcomes of victims of a tornado in Jiangsu Province, China.

Methods:

This study retrospectively investigated the clinical records of 144 patients treated at a teaching hospital due to a tornado. Each patient’s demographic data, diagnosis, injury types, causes of injury, infection status, and outcomes were all reviewed.

Results:

Of the 144 patients, 64 (44.4%) were male, and 80 (55.6%) were female. The patients’ ages ranged from 2 months to 94 years; 91 (63.19%) were admitted within the first 12 h after the disaster. The most frequently injured sites were the body surfaces (24.48%), followed by the limbs and pelvis (21.79%) and chest (20.3%). Soft-tissue injuries and fractures were the most frequent injuries. Traumatic brain injuries were the main causes of death. Tornado-related injuries were primarily caused by flying/falling bricks, wood, and glass. Twenty-three (15.9%) patients suffered from infections, which consisted mainly of skin/soft tissue infections and pneumonia.

Conclusions:

Destructive tornadoes often cause heavy casualties with little warning. Medical aid agencies must be prepared to accommodate the massive numbers of injured patients after a catastrophe. Proper triage and prompt treatment of injured victims may decrease mortality. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;xx:xxx-xxx).

Keywords

tornadoesepidemiologywounds and injuriessoft tissue injuriesfracturesinfection
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 208 - 213
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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