• R Gao, L Yang, W Yuan, T Li, and Q Fu.
• Department of Orthopedics, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
• Eur J Trauma Emerg S. 2012 Apr 1;38(2):85-8.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the profile of traumas, the severity, and mortality of polytrauma patients in a front-line hospital after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.MethodsPatients who had two or more injuries to physical regions or organ systems, where at least one injury or the combination of injuries carried a certain risk of fatal outcome, with Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16, were considered as polytrauma patients and included in this study. Medical records consisting of demographic data, distribution and type of injuries, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score of each injury, ISS, surgical procedures, mortality rate, and features of the deaths were collected and analyzed.ResultsA total of 70 earthquake-related polytrauma patients were treated in our hospital during the first 10 days after the earthquake. The mean ISS of these patients was 26.9, and 77.1% of these patients were critically injured (ISS ≥ 25). Among the 224 injuries, the most common injury site was the extremities (30.8%), 81.2% of which were fractures. A total of 152 surgical procedures were performed on these patients, of which orthopedic procedures accounted for 85.5%. During the first 10 days, 21 patients with significantly higher ISS than the survivors died in the hospital.ConclusionsThe mortality rate of the polytrauma patients in this rescue operation was high. The ISS was a feasible tool to estimate the severity of polytrauma patients. Specialists in orthopedics, critical care, and respiratory disorders were in great demand during the management of these patients in such conditions.

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