Injury types of victims in the 12th May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake: analysis of 1,038 patients in Jiangyou City.

Background: On 12th May 2008, a devastating earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck Wenchuan, Sichuan Province of China, resulting in tremendous loss of lives and property.

Methods: We conducted an analysis of the types and distribution of the injuries among the wounded treated by a medical rescue team within 1 month following the Wenchuan earthquake in Jiangyou City.

Results: Within 1 month following the earthquake, 3,038 patients sustaining various traumatic injuries were treated in the emergency medical facility established based in a local hospital. Of these patients, 1,065 were hospitalized, including more female than male patients, with an average age of 40.2 years. Most of the patients sustained injuries in Pingwu County, which experienced a seismic intensity of level XI. The majority (91.4%) of the hospitalized patients were admitted in the initial 4 days after the earthquake. The injuries were classified into soft tissue injuries (48.0%), fractures (40.0%), complex injuries (3.1%), and other injuries. The injuries involved most frequently the head and face (28.5%), followed by the upper and lower limbs, chest and back, waist and abdomen, pelvis, and spine. Multiple injuries (15.4%) were also common among these patients.

Conclusion: The devastating earthquake resulted in a large number of patients with soft tissue injuries frequently in the head and fractures involving mainly the limbs, especially the upper limbs. The injuries sustained in earthquakes are usually serious and complex, often with such complications as shock, infection, and crush syndrome. Multiple injuries are common in the event of an earthquake.