Analysis of Inpatient Burn Patients Treated After the February 2023 Kahramanmaras Turkiye Earthquake and Examination of the Burn Profile According to Injury Time

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, a 7.7 and about 9 hours later, a 7.6 Richter’s scale earthquake struck south of Turkiye, affecting more than 9 million people in 11 cities. This study aims to assess injury mechanisms, patient characteristics, and the outcome related to the earthquakes and the newly emerging living conditions. This study was conducted between February 6, 2023, and May 6, 2023, in a referral burn center. Patients who experienced burns either during the earthquakes or within three months in the region were included. The patient characteristics, time and place of burn injury, etiology, latency time to hospital admittance, outcome, and mortality were evaluated retrospectively. Sixty-three patients were included in our study cohort with a mean age of 21.84±20.3 years. The burned total body surface area was 15.56±20.3%. The burns that occurred during the earthquakes were mainly minor scalds, but the median time to hospital admission was 55 hours. The burns after the first week to the end of day forty-five were mainly flame burns that occurred in tents. The following burns up to the end of the third month included flame burns resulting in high mortality, and electrical burns mainly occurred during the restoration of the destroyed environment. In major disasters like earthquakes, burns during catastrophes are inevitable. Accommodating survivors in fireproof tents will be essential for avoiding fatalities from fires. In the restoration period of the settlements, the workers should be adequately informed about precautions when dealing with electric transmission lines.