Neurosurgical and orthopedic outcomes of emergency patients admitted after the Pazarcýk earthquake: Focus on crush syndrome incidence and associated morbidity

BACKGROUND: This study retrospectively evaluates the clinical outcomes of patients admitted to our hospital following the Pazarcýk earthquake on February 6, 2023. It specifically focuses on patients requiring multidisciplinary follow-up care in orthopedics and neurosurgery clinics, assessing the nature and severity of their injuries.
METHODS: We included patients admitted under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-35 code as a result of the earthquake centered in the Pazarcýk district of Kahramanmaraþ province.
RESULTS: A total of 449 patients were admitted: 265 (59%) were discharged as outpatients, while 184 (41%) required hospitalization. Of the hospitalized patients, 45.7% required surgery, with 51.2% of procedures performed by orthopedic surgeons, 27.4% by neurosurgeons, and 19% involving both orthopedics and plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery. Compartment syndrome was documented in 14.7% of hospitalized patients, and crush syndrome in 46.7%. Additionally, 13% of patients required physical therapy. The overall mortality rate was 7.1%, significantly higher among patients with compartment syndrome (p<0.001) and crush syndrome (p=0.001), but lower in those who underwent surgery (p=0.023).
CONCLUSION: This evaluation reveals that the Pazarcýk earthquake caused significant morbidity, with high incidences of crush and compartment syndromes requiring urgent surgical intervention. These findings underscore the need for improved disaster preparedness and effective treatment protocols to address the unique challenges posed by such catastrophic events.

Pazarcýk depremi sonrasý acil servise kabul edilen hastalarýn nöroþirurjikal ve ortopedik sonuçlarý: Crush sendromu insidansý ve morbiditeye dair retrospektif bir analiz

AMAÇ: Bu çalýþma, 6 Þubat 2023 tarihinde meydana gelen Pazarcýk merkezli depremin ardýndan hastanemize baþvuran hastalarýn klinik sonuçlarýný retrospektif olarak deðerlendirmektedir. Çalýþma, özellikle ortopedi ve nöroþirürji kliniklerinde multidisipliner takip gerektiren hastalara odaklanarak, yaralanmalarýn niteliði ve þiddetini analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadýr.
GEREÇ VE YÖNTEM: Çalýþmaya, Kahramanmaraþ ili Pazarcýk ilçesi merkezli deprem nedeniyle ICD-35 kodu ile hastanemize kabul edilen hastalar dâhil edilmiþtir.
BULGULAR: Toplam 449 hasta baþvurmuþ olup, 265’i (%59) ayaktan tedavi ile taburcu edilirken, 184’ü (%41) hastaneye yatýrýlmýþtýr. Yatan hastalarýn %45.7’si cerrahi müdahale gerektirmiþtir; bu operasyonlarýn %51.2’si ortopedik cerrahlar, %27.4’ü nöroþirürjiyenler tarafýndan gerçekleþtirilmiþtir; %19’u ise ortopedi ile plastik, rekonstrüktif ve estetik cerrahi iþ birliðinde yapýlmýþtýr. Yatan hastalarýn %14.7’sinde kompartman sendromu, %46.7’sinde ise crush sendromu saptanmýþtýr. Ayrýca hastalarýn %13’üne fizik tedavi uygulanmýþtýr. Genel mortalite oraný %7.1 olup, bu oran kompartman sendromu (p<0.001) ve crush sendromu (p=0.001) bulunan hastalarda anlamlý þekilde daha yüksek, cerrahi müdahale uygulanan hastalarda ise daha düþük bulunmuþtur (p=0.023).
SONUÇ: Bu deðerlendirme, Pazarcýk depreminin ciddi morbiditeye yol açtýðýný ve acil cerrahi müdahaleleri gerekli kýlan yüksek oranlarda crush ve kompartman sendromu vakalarýnýn görüldüðünü ortaya koymaktadýr. Bulgular, böyle felaketlerde karþýlaþýlan özgün zorluklara karþý daha etkili afet hazýrlýk planlarýnýn ve tedavi protokollerinin geliþtirilmesi gerekliliðini vurgulamaktadýr.