Pediatric Emergency Response in a Non-Epicenter Hospital during the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake: A Retrospective Study of 125 Cases in the First 20 Days.

BACKGROUND The 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes affected a large population. Ankara Mamak State Hospital, a non-epicenter hospital, was also making efforts to treat earthquake patients. This retrospective study was conducted from this non-epicenter hospital during the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake and aimed to evaluate the emergency response to 125 pediatric patients identified in the first 20 days. MATERIAL AND METHODS The cases were scanned from the hospital's electronic registry system by age and diagnosis code. We recorded the demographic data of patients under the age of 18 years, the day they arrived, the provinces they left, their diagnoses, treatments, consultations, characteristics of trauma in traumatic cases, and outcomes of all children in a non-epicenter hospital. We detected 125 pediatric cases in the first 20 days. RESULTS There were 125 pediatric patients under the age of 18 who arrived to the Emergency Department (ED). On the 6th day, the number of cases peaked. Their mean age was 7.9±5.6 years (minimum: 0, maximum: 18) and 52.8% were males. Most cases had non-traumatic internal disease (81.6%) and were most (97.6%) were discharged from the ED. While soft-tissue injury was the most common diagnosis in traumatic cases (69.9%), there were more (56.5%) extremity injuries according to the affected body zone. CONCLUSIONS After major disasters, there may be an increased number of pediatric patients taken to hospitals far from the disaster area. For this reason, non-epicenter hospitals should be prepared to provide an adequate number of health care workers and sufficient supplies and equipment.

Emergency Response and Clinical Insights from a Non-Epicenter Hospital during the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake: A Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND The Turkey-Syria earthquake of February 6, 2023, impacted 11 provinces and necessitated widespread emergency medical support. Although not at the disaster's epicenter, Ankara Mamak State Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, offered critical multidisciplinary support. This retrospective study evaluates the factors that drove 124 admissions to the hospital's Emergency Department (ED) following the earthquake. MATERIAL AND METHODS We recorded patient demographic data, dates of arrival at the ED, provinces of origin, diagnoses, treatments, consultations during the ED visit, and patient outcomes. The majority of the 124 admissions were due to trauma and multi-organ damage, and the primary diagnostic tools were physical examination and radiological imaging. Of these patients, 85.5% (106) recovered and were discharged directly from the ED, 11 were admitted for continued care, and 7 were referred to another hospital. RESULTS The 124 cases consisted of adults injured within the first 20 days post-earthquake, with a mean age of 46.5±17.4 years, and a higher number of females. A peak in admissions was observed on the third and fourth days following the earthquake, with the most cases originating from the Hatay province. The most frequently injured body region was the lower extremity, and orthopedic consultations significantly outnumbered other surgical consultations. CONCLUSIONS Our findings underscore the vital role of robust, multidisciplinary disaster preparedness in all EDs, especially in regions prone to natural disasters.