2022 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 42-47
【Background】
During the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, our hospital was the nearest critical emergency center to the epicenter and experienced many cases of surgery.
【Purpose】
To review the surgical cases in the Kumamoto earthquake, to clarify the features of surgical cases due to epicentral earthquakes in local cities, and to help construct future disaster response plans.
【Methods】
When outpatient restriction was carried out due to the occurrence of a foreshock, 46 surgery cases were registered at the hospital.
【Results/Discussion】
Three surgery cases were transferred to the other hospitals but 43 were operated at our hospital. Among them, more than half were orthopedic surgeries, and most of these were earthquake-related. We predicted that cases of head and body trauma in the early stages of disaster will increase, but there were no injuries due to the earthquake other than limb trauma. After the epicentral earthquake in the local city, the hospital witnessed an increase in orthopedic burden, but other type of surgical burdens, such as that of neurosurgery, were limited.
【Conclusion】
Orthopedic injuries are expected to increase in earthquakes in a local city, so it is desirable to deal with such a way as to disperse the burden.
