Objective To analyze retrospectively the overall situation of medical rescue in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University after the Wenchuan earthquake, so as to provide references for the emergency preparation for the disaster of earthquake. Methods Analysis was based on the data provided by the Department of Information, the Medical Record Library, the Department of Emergency, the Department of Orthopaedics and other related departments of the hospital. The software Microsoft EXCEL was used for data management, and SPSS 13.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results From May 22 to May 26, 91 cases from the disaster area had been treated in the hospital, of which 90 were from Mianyang and 1 from Chengdu. These patients included 44 males with a median age of 38 (27, 53) years old and 47 females with a median age of 51 (33, 62) years old. Most patients were sent to the hospital within the first 10 or 11 days after the earthquake, with 86.8% hospitalized after 10 days and 22.0% after 11 days. The number of outpatients reached its peak of 37.1% of all the outpatients (33 cases) within 34 days after the earthquake. The wounded were mainly admitted into the Department of Orthopaedics, with 34.81% of the patients having lower limb fracture, 18.26% having spine fracture, and 12.59% suffering pelvis fracture. Only 2 out of the 89 patients died. One death was due to 60% burning injury and 1 died of multiple catastrophic injuries. Conclusion Based on the data, it is important to develop an emergent plan for medical rescues after an earthquake disaster and to strengthen the reserve of medical supplies, personnel training, scientific field triage and the construction of information platforms.
The May 12 8-magnitude earthquake caused damage to 87.7% of the health systems in the worst-hit Mianyang areas with 326 casualties and the direct economic loss of RMB 3 124 billion. Within 30 minutes after the earthquake, the Mianyang headquarters for earthquake disaster relief and the Mianyang public health headquarters for medical rescue and treatment were organized. Five medical teams were sent to Beichuang County, the worst-hit Mianyang area within four hours after the earthquake. A total of 22 947 wounded and sick were delivered to local hospitals after simple triage and rapid treatment through three station. By June 30, the Mianyang medical organisation had received 379 600 person times and admitted 21628 inpatients in total, including 2 772 severely-wounded (including 146 with limbs amputated and 846 dead during the stay). Since May 17, 3381 wounded had been transferred to 14 provincial and city-level hospitals across China. On June 20, the Mianyang Rehabilitation Center for wounded and sick people was established and received 156 rehabilitation inpatients and cured 32 ones. Together with the medical team for psychological intervention, they provided psychological support for victims for over 70 000 person times. Within two hours after the earthquake, the Mianyang Organisation for Health and Epidemic Control and Prevention launched the emergency response plan for major natural disasters, prepared and improved the technical scheme for disease prevention after the earthquake. The organisation rapidly sent out emergency teams for disease control and prevention and completed the following tasks: disinfection and burial of corpses and disposal of carcasses, monitoring of the water quality and epidemics, disinfection of environmental ruins, epidemic control in resettled areas, precaution of the secondary disasters caused by the earthquake and conduction of large-scale health education. The emergency command system for medical rescue and disease control and prevention in the worst-hit Mianyang areas after Wenchuan Earthquake integrated resources, carried out the unified command and responded rapidly. Moreover, the headquarter of medical relief coordinated and orderly unified the governmental and non-governmental organizations, which achieved good performance for both medical relief and anti-epidemic. The experience of earthquake medical relief will benefit the post-disaster reconstruction, as well as the establishment of national and regional emergency response systems.
After Wenchuan earthquake, the West China Second University Hospital immediately started the preparation of emergency pharmaceutical administration. The pharmaceutical department effectively controlled the provision, purchasing, utilization and donation of medications through a double-track operation system. In this way, the medication supply was ensured for both the patients suffering from the disaster and routine patients, which guaranteed the rationality in medication and promoted the utilization of the donated drugs so that more than 80 000 drug cost was saved for the hospital.
Objective To systematically and thoughtfully summarize the experience and lessons of emergency medical rescue during the Wenchuan earthquake in order toprovide relevant evidence to inform decision making for future emergency medical situations. Methods The relevant data was collected and analyzed through brainstorming and questionnaire. Result ① The Sichuan province Headquarters for Earthquake Disaster Relief was organized at the first time after the earthquake, and a coordination mechanism was established between the national ministry and Sichuan, as well as different departments and the army, to ensure the powerful, ordered, and effective action for the medical rescue. ② Thirty-five thousand eight-hundred medical rescue workers were organized within 72 hours of the earthquake and were sent to all the worst-hit counties via land, water, and air. Some effective measures such as “Four concentration”and“Transfer of wounded patients” were used to reduce the mortality and disability of the wounded patients. ③ The anti-epidemic measures were performed across all the villages and settlements of the people affected by the earthquake to ensure no recurrence of public health events during the first two weeks after the quake. ④ Medical resources were organized scientifically and transparently to meet the demand of medical rescue. ⑤ The recovery and re-establishment of medical services were promoted by two phases. Conclusion The emergency medical rescue of those affected by the earthquake in the Sichuan Province is succesful. In the future, we should establish an effective emergency medical rescue system, supply the reserve of medical resources, improve the equipment of medical rescue teams, strengthen the establishment of discipline of disaster medicine, and improve the emergency pre-plan.
Objective To summarize the experience of medical rescue conducted in Aba prefecture after the Wenchuan earthquake in order to provide information for similar tasks in seismo-active regions. Methods We participated and witnessed the whole process of medical rescue through 100 days after the quake. Data regarding the medical rescue work, work mode, performance and problems were collected and analyzed. Results Twelve counties out of the 13 counties in Aba prefecture were affected by the earthquake, including 2 most-hit counties and 5 most-hit areas. A total of 20 233 people died and 7 873 disappeared. Aba Prefectural Headquarters for Earthquake Resistance and Disaster Relief was set up and medical rescue teams were dispatched to the disaster area immediately after the quake: ① From May 12 to May 15 2008, 20 local medical teams comprising 138 healthcare professionals and 14 teams involving 428 professionals from other regions arrived at the most-hit areas. Through 7 days after the quake, medical treatment was provided for 6 285 patient-times. ② A total of 1 444 healthcare professionals participated in the medical rescue work. Through August 20, 355 579 outpatients and 7 028 inpatients were treated in the prefectural medical institutions and on-site medical centers. Of those, 6 726 were discharged, 604 were severely wounded, 20 died and 456 were transferred to other regions for further treatment. 2 703 operations were performed for the wounded and psychological treatment was provided for 4 630 person-times. Conclusion The medical rescue work in Aba prefecture after the Wenchuan earthquake was effective and efficient. Management of human resources and medical devices should be strengthened to enhance the ability of emergency response.
Objective According to characteristics of the wounded, we discussed the key points of Triage Algorithm during the large scale disasters occurring. It will provide some suggestion for establ ishment the triage process, matching with reasonable medical resources on time and making medical care promotion. Method Analysis the data of patients sent to emergency department of West China Hospital in different periods after temblor, and make conclusion on alternation of the triage process. Result A total of 2621 wounded people have been treated in West China Hospital three weeks after earthquake. The severity of patients in a seimic disaster sent to hospital changed as time went on. The percentage of skin and soft tissue injuries and l imbs fractures is 45%. The percentage of crush injury is 4.3%. There are five cases of gas gangrene and none of hospital cross-infection. Conclusion Triage the victims after earthquake dynamically increases the survival rate and decreases the mortal ity and overtriage rate, the key process of triage systems should be modified dynamically with characters alternation of the victims after China Wenchuan earthquake, the rescue level and effect can be made progress.
Lu-shan earthquake occurred at 8:02 am, on April 20th, 2013. The epicenter of earthquake was located in Lu-shan county, Ya’an city, Sichuan province, about 100 km from Chengdu along the Longmenshan fault zone in the same province heavily impacted by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The earthquake has resulted in 196 people dead, 24 missing, at least 11,470 injured as of 14:30, April 24th, 2013. After Lu-shan earthquake, medical rescue teams were dispatched from the West China Hospital, Sichuan University to the stricken area. This article written by a member of the rescue team reported the difficult and dangerous rescue work and the performance of rescue members in the stricken area.
Energy interruption and infrastructure damage are the common characteristic between the snow disaster occurred in some southern provinces of China and the 5?12 Wenchuan earthquake in China in 2008. This paper summaries the effects on medical and health institutions caused by interruption of energy flow and damaged infrastructure, shares the preparation and response practices, experience, and lessons of medical disasters, and gives suggestions about how to prepare and response for medical and health institutions when energy flow is interrupted and infrastructure is damaged.
ObjectiveTo analyze the cases of surgical wounded characteristics after Lushan county 7.0 earthquake for government departments to formulate relevant policies to provide references for future decision-making. MethodsThe data of surgical wounded were collected from various hospitals in Sichuan province. Origin, operation time and the injured area were counted according to gender and operation time was counted according to origin. In the descriptive statistics the frequencies and proportions were used to describe categorical data and x±SD was used to describe quantitative data. SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data. ResultsA total of 975 cases of surgical wounded included 586 cases of male (accounting for 60.10%) and 389 cases of female (accounting for 39.90%). The average age of the surgical wounded was 40.42±20.06 years. Ya'an city had completed the largest number of surgical cases. Medical institutions completed 53.85 percent of the surgery in the first three days, 41.03 percent of the surgery from four days to seven days after the earthquake. They completed 94.88 percent of surgery in one week after the earthquake. Ya'an city was the largest city in the number of surgical cases within 3 days after the earthquake. Medical institutions directly under the province and the Ministry of Health medical institutions in Sichuan were the largest medical institutions in number of surgical cases from four days to seven days after the earthquake. The largest number of cases was wounded ankle and foot injuries, followed by the abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine and pelvis injuries, once again the knee and calf injuries, and finally the head injury. ConclusionIn the face of natural disasters like earthquakes, the health care system should establish a reasonable and effective medical emergency response mechanisms and plans, and establish a scientific and rational triage mechanism. Multi-disciplines such as orthopedics and surgery should be ready ahead of first aid equipment and emergency medicine, so as to rationalize the allocation of medical resources, achieve maximum utilization of medical resources, reduce morbidity and mortality, and save surgical treatment time for more wounded.
Objective To discuss the mode of triage patient in Emergency Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University after the Wenchuan earthquake and the major experience during the process. Method The patients’ severity level of injury and waiting time for medical care in Emergency Department were analyzed after earthquake in 2 weeks. Result 375 patients were triaged into the severity level and get the treatment followed the triage systems gave the highest rate of survival and lowest rate of over triage and under triage. Conclusion In the calamity of Wenchuan earthquake with large number of casualties, Emergency Department automatically shifted into disaster mode and triage victims by the irregular triage systems. In this situation, medical staff do not just triage the patients to the Emergency Department or to see a doctor, but triage the victims to the medical care immediately and efficiently. By the new triage system, the West China Hospital saves more lives in less time.