First-Week Analysis after the Turkey Earthquakes: Demographic and Clinical Outcomes of Victims

Abstract

Background: During a major earthquake, escape attempts or collapsed buildings can result in injury, disability, and even death for victims. The aim of this study is to examine the demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, and injuries of victims admitted to the emergency department within the first week after an earthquake. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study conducted on earthquake victims who were admitted to the emergency services of a tertiary medical faculty and a training and research hospital in the city of Diyarbakir, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, from February 6 through February 12, 2023. Results: Of the eligible 662 earthquake victims, the mean age was 10.66 (SD = 4.78 [min 0, max 17]) in children, 36.87 (SD = 4.78 [min 18, max 63]) in adults, and 72.85 (SD = 5.83 [min 65, max 84]) in the elderly. Women constituted 52.8% of the victims, 19.7% were children, and 8.0% were elderly. Sixty-one percent (61.0%) of earthquake victims were admitted to emergency services in the first three days following the disaster; 37.7% of all victims were transferred from other affected cities to Diyarbakır. In all, 80.2% of the victims were admitted as survivors to the emergency services (36.8% were rescued under rubble, 40.1% with injuries while attempting to escape the earthquake, and 3.3% with nontraumatic reasons) and 19.8% were deceased under rubble. The majority of the 131 deceased victims were women (52.7%), 20.6% were children, and 7.6% were elderly. An estimated 38.3% of victims were hospitalized (20.9% in the ward and 17.4% in the intensive care unit [ICU]). For all age groups that survived under the rubble, the extremities were most injured (53.6% for children, 53.1% for adults, and 55.5% for the elderly). Of adult survivors, 26.6% needed only fluid therapy, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required 20.7%, and 11.8% required amputation. Of children survivors under the rubble, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required for only four, seven required amputation, and 12 needed only fluid resuscitation for crush injury. Of elderly survivors, two needed only fluid therapy, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required for two, and no amputation was required. Six patients survived under the rubble and died in the ICU. Conclusion: The definition of the demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of earthquake patients is critical to the development of preparedness, response, and recovery policies for future disasters.

From Tragedy to Resilience in a University Hospital: Characteristics of Patients in the Aftermath of the 2023 Turkey Earthquake

“…In research conducted by Sarı et al examining patients admitted to Diyarbakir province during the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey, 4 it was found that extremity traumas were the most common. According to the findings of Bulut et al (2005), 15 the body area that had the highest frequency of injuries was the extremities.…”

“…In addition, the thoracic and spinal injury rates of the patients are compatible with the literature. 4,16,17…”

“…While prior studies have focused on earthquake-related injuries and medical needs, a comprehensive analysis of the demographic profiles of post-earthquake patients in Turkey were limited. 4,5 This study aims to address this research gap by shedding light on the demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals seeking medical care and allowing clinicians to align medical resources and interventions more precisely and efficiently during similar disasters in the future.…”

Digital Response to Physical Crises: The Role of an E-Health Platform in the 2023 Southern Turkey Earthquakes

“…10 However, the recent EQs in Turkey affected 11 neighboring cities including suddenly damaged major logistic centers of the region such as Elazığ, Diyarbakır, Adana, and Hatay. The disasters’ spatial distribution and extreme weather conditions had not been anticipated in TAMP, 11 which caused the action plans to fail and led to unforeseen health needs, especially in the first 3 days after the disaster when there was an increased healthcare demand, 12 and lack of qualified first responders in the affected zones.…”

The Utilization of Emergency Department and Outpatient Clinics among Evacuated Victims after the 2023 Turkey Earthquake

“…Post-earthquake studies mostly include trauma patients in the earthquake zone or patients transferred from the earthquake zone. 6–9 Studies on the health care utilization of earthquake survivors are limited. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in the literature that evaluates the health care utilization of evacuated victims after the 2023 Turkey earthquake.…”