• Kurtuluş Açıksarı, Mehmet Koçak, Görkem Alper Solakoğlu, Ömer Turan, Samet Erinç, Özgür Ekinci, and Ebuzer Aydın.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, İstanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul-Turkey.
• Ulus Travma Acil Cer. 2020 Jan 1; 26 (1): 67-73.

BackgroundTurkey is an experienced country for both military and civilian mass casualties that arise from explosions and shootings by various terrorist groups. In this study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of patient flow admitted to our hospital caused by primarily gunshot wounds during the coup attempts on the 15th of July.MethodsThis descriptive, retrospective study included a total of 50 patients who were injured during a coup attempt on the date of July 15, 2016, and admitted to our emergency department (ED). Demographic characteristics, anatomical injury sites, postoperative clinical outcomes, and hospitalization settings were recorded. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS), Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were used to measure the severity of injuries.ResultsA total of 63 medical personnel voluntarily reached the ED within two hours. Extremity injuries were the most common injuries. The mean RTS, GCS, and TRISS scores did not differ significantly between the patients discharged from the ED and the patients who were hospitalized (p>0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference in the ISS scores (p<0.001, independent t-test). There was no statistically significant difference in the GCS and RTS scores between the discharged and hospitalized patients, although the ISS scores were higher in hospitalized patients (p>0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). A total of 33 patients (66%) were admitted to the hospital for follow-up and/or surgical intervention. Five (10%) of the patients were hospitalized for more than 14 days.ConclusionThe management of each disaster is unique. Armed conflicts result in gunshot wounds, and preparations must be focused on surge capacity and a prolonged hospital stay of the patients. In our study, the length of stay in the hospital decreased after the arrival of volunteer staff to the ED, but we should note that the ISS increased. Hospital disaster plans should be reorganized not only for ED but also for the whole hospital.

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