Citation

Cheng MH, Mathews AL, Chuang SS, Lark ME, Hsiao YC, Ng CJ, Chung KC. Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 2016; 137(6): 1900-1908.

Affiliation

1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Center for Tissue Engineering, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University 2. Research Assistant, Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Michigan Medical School 3. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Center for Tissue Engineering, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medic ine, Chang Gung University 4. Research Assistant, Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan 5. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Center for Tissue Engineering, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University 6. Emergency Department, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University 7. Professor of Surgery, Section of Plastic Surgery, Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs, The University of Michigan Medical School.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PRS.0000000000002148

PMID

26895584

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This article reports the emergency management of a mass casualty disaster occurring on June 27th, 2015 in New Taipei, Taiwan as a fire erupted over a large crowd, injuring 499 people. Lessons learned in burn care treatment and disaster preparedness are analyzed through following the specific surgical response and patient outcomes of one hospital involved in the disaster response.

METHODS: Information regarding the fire and emergency management were obtained from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) of Taiwan. Patient-specific data were obtained from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital's patient records.

RESULTS: A mass casualty management system was immediately initiated by the MOHW, which contacted local hospitals to prepare for the influx of patients with severe burn injuries. In response, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital called 336 medical personnel to the ER for the management of 49 burn patients and divided emergency management roles among chief physicians. The mean burn total body surface area of patients presenting to this hospital was 44.2% (range: 10-90). No deaths occurred in the first 48 hours after the explosion. As of 3 months post-incident, only 12 deaths have resulted from this accident, all owing to sepsis and organ failure.

CONCLUSION: Taiwan's effective mass casualty preparation plans, highly trained medical personnel, and large centers capable of treating burn patients allowed 499 injured patients to be successfully transferred and treated in hospitals across Taiwan. Lessons learned from this disaster response can be integrated into existing disaster management plans to aid in the response to mass casualty tragedies.

Language: en