Analysis of injuries and treatment of 3 401 inpatients in 2008 Wenchuan earthquake-based on Chinese Trauma Databank

Objective: A catastrophic earthquake struck Wenchuan region of West China on May 12, 2008 and caused more than 69 225 deaths. This study was to analyze injury characteristics and treatment of the seismic patients based on Chinese Trauma Databank, which will be helpful for improvement of future medical rescue in potential disasters. Methods: Based on inpatients' medical records of seismic patients admitted into 11 hospitals, data were registered with Trauma Database System Version 3.0. Patients' general information, causes, clinical characteristics and treatment of injuries were studied. Results: Main causes for seismic injuries were blunt strike (68.2%), crush/burying (18.7%) and slip/falling (11.5%). Slip/falling was the main cause for spinal injuries and accounted for 19.1%, which was higher than the percentage for other body part. Extremity injuries accounted for 54.8% of all injuries. Fractures accounted for 53.1%. Lower extremity fracture accounted for 70.1% of lower extremity injury and spinal fracture accounted for 85.9% of spinal injury. The proportion of spinal injuries with AIS >= 4 was higher than that of other injured locations except for the abdomen. Debridement and suturation for single injury and multiple injury patients accounted for 64.7% and 42.9% of their operations respectively. Conclusions: Blunt strike, crush/burying and slip/falling are the main causes for seismic injuries. The most frequently injured site is extremity. The main injury type is fracture, especially for the lower extremities and the spine. Multiple injury patients were mainly treated by operation, including debridement and suturation, closed reduction and external fixation, etc.