Objective To summarize the experience of medical rescue conducted in Aba prefecture after the Wenchuan earthquake in order to provide information for similar tasks in seismo-active regions. Methods We participated and witnessed the whole process of medical rescue through 100 days after the quake. Data regarding the medical rescue work, work mode, performance and problems were collected and analyzed. Results Twelve counties out of the 13 counties in Aba prefecture were affected by the earthquake, including 2 most-hit counties and 5 most-hit areas. A total of 20 233 people died and 7 873 disappeared. Aba Prefectural Headquarters for Earthquake Resistance and Disaster Relief was set up and medical rescue teams were dispatched to the disaster area immediately after the quake: ① From May 12 to May 15 2008, 20 local medical teams comprising 138 healthcare professionals and 14 teams involving 428 professionals from other regions arrived at the most-hit areas. Through 7 days after the quake, medical treatment was provided for 6 285 patient-times. ② A total of 1 444 healthcare professionals participated in the medical rescue work. Through August 20, 355 579 outpatients and 7 028 inpatients were treated in the prefectural medical institutions and on-site medical centers. Of those, 6 726 were discharged, 604 were severely wounded, 20 died and 456 were transferred to other regions for further treatment. 2 703 operations were performed for the wounded and psychological treatment was provided for 4 630 person-times. Conclusion The medical rescue work in Aba prefecture after the Wenchuan earthquake was effective and efficient. Management of human resources and medical devices should be strengthened to enhance the ability of emergency response.
Through reviewing the regulations on the right of emergency treatment of hospitals, we analyzed reasons of emergency treatment of hospitals, including uninformed patients and informed patients without consent in emergency situations, as well as the risk of emergency rescue of hospitals. We put forward how to consider the judgment of emergency situations, justification of emergency treatment of hospitals, and risk attribution. We suggested improving the related legislation and regulations, developing compulsory medical insurance and a medical rescue system on emergency treatment.
This article introduces the information release and news reports related to the medical rescue in West China Hospital after Wenchuan earthquake, in terms of organization and management of internal and external propaganda, as well as how to organize and optimize volunteers’ involvement in news report. A total of more than 500 medias and over 2000 journalists have been received, 439 items of information have been released, 6675 photos covering 159 topics and 30-hour video records covering 100 topics have been collected. In addition, 5-hour video records and over 1000 photos have been provided to more than 20 medical teams or individual from other provinces.
Objective To analyze retrospectively the overall situation of medical rescue in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University after the Wenchuan earthquake, so as to provide references for the emergency preparation for the disaster of earthquake. Methods Analysis was based on the data provided by the Department of Information, the Medical Record Library, the Department of Emergency, the Department of Orthopaedics and other related departments of the hospital. The software Microsoft EXCEL was used for data management, and SPSS 13.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results From May 22 to May 26, 91 cases from the disaster area had been treated in the hospital, of which 90 were from Mianyang and 1 from Chengdu. These patients included 44 males with a median age of 38 (27, 53) years old and 47 females with a median age of 51 (33, 62) years old. Most patients were sent to the hospital within the first 10 or 11 days after the earthquake, with 86.8% hospitalized after 10 days and 22.0% after 11 days. The number of outpatients reached its peak of 37.1% of all the outpatients (33 cases) within 34 days after the earthquake. The wounded were mainly admitted into the Department of Orthopaedics, with 34.81% of the patients having lower limb fracture, 18.26% having spine fracture, and 12.59% suffering pelvis fracture. Only 2 out of the 89 patients died. One death was due to 60% burning injury and 1 died of multiple catastrophic injuries. Conclusion Based on the data, it is important to develop an emergent plan for medical rescues after an earthquake disaster and to strengthen the reserve of medical supplies, personnel training, scientific field triage and the construction of information platforms.
This paper compares emergency medical rescue experience of West China Hospital of Sichuan University in the latest three earthquakes occurred in western Sichuan, and mainly introduces the experience in organization and coordination, rescue speed, treatment of the injured, and rescue characteristics in Jiuzhaigou earthquake, which can provide reference for future earthquake emergency medical rescue.
Objective To explore the structure and influencing factors of overall medical treatment expenses of 1 635 inpatients of Wenchuan earthquake in West China Hospital and to provide references for setting up the criteria of medical expenses and for assess the cost-effect of medical rescue and treatment. Methods The data of earthquake casualties were collected to analyze the constitution and influencing factors of the overall medical expense by SPSS 13.0 software. The data were described by X±SD. Comparison of data categories was tested by rank sum and influencing factors were analyzed by multi ple l inear regression analysis. Results A total of 1 635 casualties including 1 413 (86.04%) earthquake wounded and 222 (13.96%) patients from the disaster area were identified. The average expense per capita was 9 165.05±12 426.11 yuan. The overall cost was made up of operation expenses (71.75%) including material cost, examination fee and treatment fee, drug cost (18.41%) as well as bed fee and others (less than 10%). The cost of patients from the disaster area was higher than that of the earthquake wounded (Z= –4.109, P=0.000). The operation, compl ications, multiple-site damages, injures induced by the secondary disaster of the earthquake such as burn and corrosion were the direct reason leading to the high overall expense. The influencing factors included operation (r=0.386), ICU (r=0.336) and the day of hospital ization (r=0.246). Conclusion The earthquake wounded occupy the predominant percentage of the earthquake inpatients in West China Hospital. The operation, compl ications, multiple-site damages and injures induced by the secondary disaster of the earthquake lead to a high overall expense. The influencing factors include operation, ICU and the day of hospital ization. The relationship between the expense and the disease category largely depends on the classification criteria. The relationship between the expense and the age as well as the prognosis needs further study. But no correlation between the expense and the gender is found.
Emergency medical rescue system is an important part of public health and urban security system. Based on the emergency medical rescue practice of" 6·24”sudden high mountain collapse disaster in Diexi town of Mao county, this article mainly analyzes, summarizes and puts forward the countermeasures and suggestions for the emergency medical rescue system, which has been sharpened, explored and established in numerous disasters in Sichuan province.
Objectives Performance of critical injury treatment among extremely-hit areas after great earthquake was retrospectively analyzed to provide references for policy-making as reducing mortality and disable rate besides increasing rehabilitation rate for global post-quake medical relief. Methods Retrospective analysis, primary research and secondary research were comprehensively applied. Results 1.According to incomplete statistics datum, there were 30,620 self-save injured among extremely-hit areas in 72 post-quake hours. And, the number of critical injured took 22% of the total inpatient injured. 2. Mortalities decreased successively from that of municipal healthcare centers in extremely-hit areas to that municipal medical units in peripheral quake-hit areas and then to those of municipal, provincial and MOH-affiliated hospitals as 12.21%, 4.50%, 2.50% and 2.17% respectively. 3. Injured with fractures on body, limbs or unknown-parts, severe conditions as well as other kinds of non-traumatic diseases received in second-line hospitals were much more than those treated in first-line hospitals with more severe injuries. 4. Among 10,373 injured in stable conditions transferred to third-line hospitals, 99.07% were discharged off hospitals with mortality as 0.017% during 4 post-quake months. Conclusions The medical relief model as “supervising body helping subordinate unit, severely-stricken areas assisting extremely-hit ones, quake-hit areas supporting both extremely-hit and severely-stricken ones, and save-saving amp; mutual assistance applied between extremely-hit areas” is roughly established for injured from severely-stricken areas after Wenchuan earthquake. 2. “Four concentration treatment” principle for those injured in critical conditions did effectively reduce mortality（15.06%→2.9%）. 3. Timely, scientific and standard on-site triage and post-medical transfer under guidance of accurate injury information determine rescue effect for the injured, while there is large space to fulfill as for treatment for critical diseases among extremely-hit areas under extreme conditions after Wenchuan earthquake.
We systematically and retrospectively analyzed the experience and lessons from the command system, medical rescue force deployment, medical treatment, public health response for infectious disease control, and health counterpart assistance for emergency medical rescue after the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, China. We propose that emergency medical rescue after tremendous catastrophes in China link responses at the national, provincial, city, and county levels, to set up an effective and cooperative medical relief forces coordination system and an effective triage system and rehabilitation plan. In addition, infectious disease control should be planned and assessed more quickly, and developing vital functions of pairing-assistance as a means with Chinese characteristic. Our aim is to provide a useful reference for medical rescue after natural catastrophes worldwide, especially after earthquakes.
In the rescue that follows a major natural disaster, blood donation is a unique, necessary method to assist the injured. To achieve effective assurance of the blood supply for medical rescue in an orderly fashion, the current procedure must be adjusted by using scientific prediction, analysis, and adaptation. After the process of ensuring the blood supply for medical rescue during the Wenchuan Earthquake, the Ministry of Health of China, with great efforts, continues to investigate and reflect upon the application of the above principals during actual practice. Objectively, these efforts will lead to better results and establish a standard supplying blood during a disaster rescue.