Citation

Sarhan MD, Dahaba AA, Marco M, Salah A. Ann. Surg. 2012; 256(6): 1093-1097.

Affiliation

*Surgical Casualty Department, Kasr El-Ainy Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt †Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/SLA.0b013e31825ffb62

PMID

22895394

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: Documentation of the management of mass casualties in Tahrir Square. BACKGROUND:: We documented the sequences of our medical response to mass casualties in Tahrir Square between January 28, 2011, and February 4, 2011, at "Kasr El-Ainy" Cairo University Hospital, the largest hospital in the Middle East and the tertiary referral center for all hospitals in Egypt that happened to be the closest to Tahrir Square. METHODS:: At the peak of Tahrir Square demonstrations, injured protesters received first aid in a makeshift clinic inside Tahrir Square, manned by volunteer doctors and nurses, before they were evacuated to the Cairo University Hospital Surgical Casualty Department. General surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and critical care nurses from multidisciplinary teams hastily triaged and treated the incoming casualties. Thousands of casualties were seen at the peak of the uprising. This article provides a detailed review of mass casualties seen between January 28, 2011, and February 4, 2011. RESULTS:: Of 3012 casualties, 453 were triaged as "immediate care" patients. On arrival, 339 of 453 patients (74.8%) needed surgical intervention within 6 hours of arrival whereas 74 of 453 patients (16.3%) were managed conservatively. Forty of 453 (8.8%) of patients did not survive their injuries. Most of the inpatients (302/453, 66.6%) were admitted within 10 hours on January 28, 2011, during which evidence of a pattern of regime's organized escalating violence emerged. CONCLUSIONS:: We describe the pattern of injuries and our management of Tahrir Square mass casualties. We believe that forming multidisciplinary teams of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses was the key to our effective management of such a huge event.

Language: en