Analysis of the management of 336 patients sustaining craniocerebral injuries in Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract

Objective To summarize the clinical characteristics of the patients sustaining craniocerebral injuries admitted in the front-line hospitals in the Wenchuan earthquake and review our experience with their management. Methods This analysis involved 336 patients with craniocerebral injuries resulting from the earthquake. The patients were preliminarily screened with the Glascow Coma Score and the injuries were categorized into severe, moderate and minor injuries for medication and observation. The wounds were debrided and dressed with also adequate management of the complex injuries. Results In the 336 patients, 206 sustained minor injuries, 122 had moderate injuries, and 8 had severe injuries. Good recovery was achieved in 201 of the patients with minor injuries, in 11 with moderate injuries and in 1 with severe injuries. Death occurred in 4 severe injury cases. Conclusion Craniocerebral injuries in earthquake have complex injury mechanism with multiple concurrent injuries and rapid alterations of condition. Improvement of the catastrophe response capacity of the front-line hospitals and emergency reserves is critical for timely rescue of the patients with craniocerebral injury to reduce the mortality rate and improve the survival rate. Key words: Earthquake; Craniocerebral injury; Diagnosis; Treatment