Descriptive Study of Earthquake-Related Spinal Cord Injury in Türkiye-Kahramanmaraş

Year 2024, , 108 - 111, 30.06.2024

Meryem Kösehasanoğulları , Nilüfer Aygün Bilecik , Özge Göksu Körlü

https://doi.org/10.36516/jocass.1488747

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to review the epidemiological data of patients who were rescued from under the rubble in the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on February 6 and developed earthquake-related spinal vertebral fractures.
Materials and Methods: Our study included 69 patients with spinal vertebral fractures and/or spinal cord injuries (SCIs) who were admitted to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic of Adana City Training and Research Hospital after the 6 February Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık and Elbistan earthquakes. Patients with peripheral nerve damage or loss of muscle strength due to pelvic and extremity fractures were not included in the study.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 40.43±15.24 years (min=8-max=72). The median time of rescue from under the rubble was 15 (1-106) hours. The median visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score was 7 (0-10). 69.6% of the patients were female. Among the patients with a vertebral spinal injury, 72.5% had an incomplete SCI and 27.5% had a complete SCI. 84.5% of the patients underwent surgery, and posterior spinal instrumentation was performed in 56.5% of them.
Conclusion: There has been a significant increase in the number of SCI cases after the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. Rehabilitation centers should be established, patients' access to these centers should be facilitated, and complications should thus be prevented or optimized. Injured people should be helped to return to their social lives.
Keywords: February 6th Kahramanmaraş, Earthquake, Spinal Cord Injury

Keywords

February 6th Kahramanmaraş, Earthquake, Spinal Cord Injury

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