Proper understanding of earthquake injuries

  At 14:28 on May 12, 2008, a sudden earthquake swept through Wenchuan, Sichuan, and was strongly felt in many areas of the country. This earthquake disaster, the preliminary estimate of the dead more than 50,000, more than 200,000 injured, the number of people directly affected by more than ten million people. The Wenchuan disaster touched the hearts of every Chinese, and rescue medical personnel from all over the country went to the front line of the disaster area to save lives and help the injured.  Earthquake injuries are mainly trauma-based, with fractures taking the first place, soft tissue injuries the second, and crush syndrome the third.  Head fractures and cranio-cerebral injuries are the highest mortality rate among earthquake casualties, with an early mortality rate of 30%. Fractures of the extremities are mainly open, often combined with soft tissue and vascular nerve injuries of the extremities, and serious cases require amputation treatment. Rib fractures can cause pneumothorax or hemothorax due to stabbing injuries to the broken ends. The human muscle soft tissue is strongly squeezed, or is heavily compressed for more than 6 hours, local muscle necrosis, releasing a large amount of toxic substances into the blood circulation, leading to shock and renal failure, which is the squeeze syndrome, the mortality rate is extremely high.  Spinal fractures account for about 1/4 of fractures due to earthquake injuries, of which 30-40% can be complicated by paraplegia, bringing lifelong misfortune to the individual patient. A significant number of spinal fractures are paraplegic or paraplegic aggravated during transport, so disaster relief should first protect the spine of the casualty, eliminate incorrect handling methods to aid the casualty, and minimize the secondary damage caused by improper handling after a spinal fracture. Spinal injury patient first aid handling process, must pay attention to keep the casualty’s head and neck and trunk straight position, never make the spine flexion and twisting. Cervical spine injuries in particular, should be carried more carefully, and fixed. Do not lift the head, torso or sit up. It is best to use a rigid flat stretcher or door plate to carry the tool, and should not easily turn the casualty.  When a spinal fracture is suspected, the following methods of carrying should be avoided as much as possible: 1. you hold the arm, I pull the leg to carry the casualty; 2. carrying the casualty; 3. take a blanket, put the person on it, four people each take a corner to carry; 4. use a soft stretcher, canvas stretcher; 5. temporarily take a rope to make a stretcher and so on. These are incorrect handling methods, which can make the spinal fracture further aggravated and damage the spinal cord thus causing paraplegia.  Most of the injured in the Wenchuan earthquake disaster belonged to open fractures, and many of the wounded were rescued and treated when the wound was already infected. There are two very dangerous infections: tetanus and gas gangrene.  Tetanus is an acute, specific infection caused by the invasion of the tetanus bacillus into the wound to multiply and secrete toxins, mainly manifested as persistent contractions and paroxysmal spasms of the whole body or local muscles. Tetanus bacillus is widely present in soil and feces, and is highly resistant to the environment. When trauma its can contaminate deep tissue, if the wound is deep, and necrotic tissue, local ischemia, hypoxia, it forms an environment suitable for bacterial growth and reproduction, once the morbidity, the mortality rate is high.  Gas gangrene is a serious acute atopic infection caused by Clostridium perfringens, which is widely present in soil and human and animal feces, so it is easy to enter the wound, but does not necessarily cause disease. The occurrence of gas gangrene is not determined solely by the presence of C. aeruginosa, but more by the body’s resistance and the condition of the wound, which requires a hypoxic environment conducive to the growth and reproduction of C. aeruginosa. Thus, water loss, massive blood loss, or shock, with extensive tissue necrosis in the wound, deep muscle destruction, especially in thigh and hip injuries, open fractures, or with major vascular injury, predispose to gas gangrene. Gas gangrene develops rapidly and, if not treated promptly, patients often lose limbs or even die.