Introduction:Anecdotal observations about prehospital emergency medical care in major natural and human-made disasters, such as earthquakes, have suggested that some injured victims survive the initial impact, but eventually die because of a delay in the application of life-saving medical therapy.Methods:A multidisciplinary, retrospective structured interview methodology to investigate injury risk factors, and causes and circumstances of prehospital death after major disasters was developed. In this study, a team of United States researchers and Costa Rican health officials conducted a survey of lay survivors and health care professionals who participated in the emergency medical response to the earthquake in Costa Rica on 22 April 1991.Results:Fifty-four deaths occurred prior to hospitatization (crude death rate = 0.4/1,000 population). Seventeen percent of these deaths (9/54) were of casualties who survived the initial impact but died at the scene or during transport. Twenty-two percent (2/9) were judged preventable if earlier emergency medical care had been available. Most injuries and deaths occurred in victims who were inside wooden buildings (p <.O1) as opposed to other building types or were pinned by rubble from building collapse. Autopsies performed on a sample of victims showed crush injury to be the predominant cause of death.Conclusions:A substantial proportion of earthquake mortality in Costa Rica was protracted. Crush injury was the principal mechanism of injury and cause of death. The rapid institution of enhanced prehospital emergency medical services may be associated with a significant life- saving potential in these events.

Background:Post-earthquake engineering and epidemiologic assessments are important for the development of injury prevention strategies. This paper describes mortality and its relationship to building collapse patterns and initial medical responses following the 1992 earthquake in Erzincan, Turkey.Methods:The study consisted of: 1) background data collection and review; 2) design and implementation of a field survey; and 3) site inspection of building collapse patterns. The survey included: 1) national (n = 11) and local (n = 17) officials; 2) medical and search and rescue (SAR) workers (n = 38); and 3) a geographically stratified random sample of lay survivors (n = 105). The survey instruments were designed to gather information regarding location, injuries, initial actions and prior training of survivors and responders, and the location, injuries, and management of dead and dying victims. A case-control design was constructed to assess the relationship between mortality, location, and building collapse pattern.Results:There was extensive structural damage throughout the region, especially in the city where mid-rise, unreinforced masonry buildings (MUMBs) incorporating a “soft” first floor design (large store windows for commercial use) and one story adobe structures were most vulnerable to collapse. Of 526 people who died in the city, 87% (n = 456) were indoors at the time of the earthquake. Of these, 92% (n = 418) died in MUMBs. Of 54 witnessed deaths, 55% (n = 28) of victims died slowly, the majority of whom (n = 26) were pinned or trapped (p <0.05). Of 42 MUMB occupants identified through the survey, those who died (n = 25) were more likely to have been occupying the ground floor when compared with survivors (n = 28) (p <0.01). Official medical and search and rescue responders arrived after most deaths had occurred. Prior first-aid or rescue training of lay, uninjured survivors was associated with a higher likelihood of rescuing and resuscitating others (p <0.001).Conclusion:During an earthquake, MUMBs with soft ground floor construction are highly lethal, especially for occupants on the ground floor, suggesting that this building type is inappropriate for areas of seismic risk. The vulnerability of MUMBs appears due to a lack of lateral force resistance as a result of the use of glass store fiont windows and the absence of shear walls. The prevalence of this building type in earthquake-prone regions needs to be investigated further. A large portion of victims dying in an earthquake die slowly at the scene of injury. Prior public first-aid and rescue training programs increase participation in rescue efforts in major earthquakes and may improve survival.

In general, preparations for disasters which result in mass casualties do not incorporate a modern resuscitation approach. We explored the life-saving potential of, and time limits for life-supporting first aid (LSFA), advanced trauma life support (ATLS), resuscitative surgery, and prolonged life support (PLS: intensive care) following the earthquake in Armenia on 7 December 1988. We used a structured, retrospective interview method applied previously to evaluation of emergency medical services (EMS) in the United States. A total of 120 survivors of, and participants in the earthquake in Armenia were interviewed on site (49 lay eyewitnesses, 20 search-rescue personnel, 39 medical personnel and records, and 12 administrators). Answers were verified by crosschecks. Preliminary results permit the following generalizations: 1) a significant number of victims died slowly as the result of injuries such as external hemorrhage, head injury with coma, shock, or crush syndrome; 2) early search and rescue was performed primarily by uninjured covictims using hand tools; 3) many lives potentially could have been saved by the use of LSFA and ATLS started during extrication of crushed victims. 4) medical teams from neighboring EMS systems started to arrive at the site at 2-3 hours and therefore, A TLS could have been provided in time to save lives and limbs; 5) some amputations had to be performed in the field to enable extrication; 6) the usefulness of other resuscitative surgery in the field needs to be clarified; 7) evacuations were rapid; 8) air evacuation proved essential; 9) hospital intensive care was well organized; and 10) international medical aid, which arrived after 48 hours, was too late to impact on resuscitation. Definitive analysis of data in the near future will lead to recommendations for local, regional, and National Disaster Medical Systems (NDMS).

National medical responses to catastrophic disasters have failed to incorporate a resuscitation component.Purpose:This study sought to determine the lifesaving potentials of modern resuscitation medicine as applied to a catastrophic disaster situation. Previous articles reported the preliminary results (I), and methodology (II) of a structured, retrospective interview study of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. The present article (III) reports and discusses the definitive findings, formulates conclusions, and puts forth recommendations for future responses to catastrophic disasters anywhere in the world.Results:Observations include: 1) The lack of adequate construction materials and procedures in the Armenian region contributed significantly to injury and loss of life; 2) The uninjured, lay population together with medical teams including physicians in Armenia were capable of rapid response (within two hours); 3) Due to a lack of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) training for medical teams and of basic first-aid training of the lay public, and scarcity of supplies and equipment for extrication of casualties, they were unable to do much at the scene. As a result, an undetermined number of severely injured earthquake victims in Armenia died slowly without the benefit of appropriate and feasible resuscitation attempts.Recommendations:1) Widespread adoption of seismic-resistant building codes for regions of high seismic risk; 2) The lay public living in these regions should be trained in life-supporting first-aid (LSFA) and basic rescue techniques; 3) Community-wide emergency medical services (EMS) systems should be developed world-wide (tai-lored to the emergency needs of each region) with ATLS capability for field resuscitation; 4) Such systems be prepared to extend coverage to mass casualties; 5) National disaster medical system (NDMS) plans should provide integration of existing trauma-EMS systems into regional systems linked with advanced (heavy) rescue (public works, fire, police); and 6) New techniques and devices for victim extrication should be developed to enable rapid extrication of earthquake casualties within 24 hours.

In catastrophic disasters such as major earthquakes in densely populated regions, effective Life-Supporting First-Aid (LSFA) and basic rescue can be administered to the injured by previously trained, uninjured survivors (co victims). Administration of LSFA immediately after disaster strikes can add to the overall medical response and help to diminish the morbidity and mortality that result from these events. Widespread training of the lay public also may improve bystander responses in everyday emergencies. However, for this scheme to be effective, a significant percentage of the lay population must learn the eight basic steps of LSFA. These have been developed by the International Resuscitation Research Center in collaboration with the World Association for Emergency and Disaster Medicine, the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety, and the American Red Cross (Pennsylvania chapter). They include: 1) scene survey; 2) airway control; 3) rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth); 4) circulation (chest compressions; may be omitted for disasters, but should be retained for everyday bystander response); 5) abdominal thrusts for choking (may be omitted for disasters, but retained for everyday bystander response); 6) control of external bleeding; 7) positioning for shock; and 8) call for help.