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World Journal of Emergency Surgery
Published in: World Journal of Emergency Surgery 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Review

A review of the epidemiology and treatment of orthopaedic injuries after earthquakes in developing countries

Authors: James S. MacKenzie, Bibek Banskota, Norachart Sirisreetreerux, Babar Shafiq, Erik A. Hasenboehler

Published in: World Journal of Emergency Surgery | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Earthquakes in developing countries are devastating events. Orthopaedic surgeons play a key role in treating earthquake-related injuries to the extremities. We describe orthopaedic injury epidemiology to help guide response planning for earthquake-related disasters.

Methods

Several databases were searched for articles reporting primary injury after major earthquakes from 1970 to June 2016. We used the following key words: “earthquake” AND “fracture” AND “injury” AND “orthopedic” AND “treatment” AND “epidemiology.” The initial search returned 528 articles with 253 excluded duplicates. The remaining 275 articles were screened using inclusion criteria, of which the main one was the description of precise anatomic location of fracture. This yielded 17 articles from which we analyzed the ratio of orthopaedic to nonorthopaedic injuries; orthopaedic injury location, type, and frequency; fracture injury characteristics (open vs. closed, single vs. multiple, and simple vs. comminuted); and first-line treatments.

Results

Most injuries requiring treatment after earthquakes (87%) were orthopaedic in nature. Nearly two-thirds of these injuries (65%) were fractures. The most common fracture locations were the tibia/fibula (27%), femur (17%), and foot/ankle (16%). Forty-two percent were multiple fractures, 22% were open, and 16% were comminuted. The most common treatment for orthopaedic injuries in the setting of earthquakes was debridement (33%).

Conclusions

Orthopaedic surgeons play a critical role after earthquake disasters in the developing world. A strong understanding of orthopaedic injury epidemiology and treatment is critical to providing effective preparation and assistance in future earthquake disasters.
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Metadata
Title
A review of the epidemiology and treatment of orthopaedic injuries after earthquakes in developing countries
Authors
James S. MacKenzie
Bibek Banskota
Norachart Sirisreetreerux
Babar Shafiq
Erik A. Hasenboehler
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
World Journal of Emergency Surgery / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1749-7922
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-017-0115-8

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