Citation

Igarashi Y, Matsumoto N, Kubo T, Yamaguchi M, Nakae R, Onda H, Yokobori S, Koido Y, Yokota H. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/dmp.2021.31

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review to determine the prevalence and characteristics of earthquake-associated head injuries for better disaster preparedness and management.

METHODS: We searched for all publications related to head injuries and earthquakes from 1985 to 2018 in MEDLINE and other major databases. A search was conducted using "earthquakes," "wounds and injuries," and "cranio-cerebral trauma" as a medical subject headings.

RESULTS: Included in the analysis were 34 articles. With regard to the commonly occurring injuries, earthquake-related head injury ranks third among patients with earthquake-related injuries. The most common trauma is lower extremity (36.2%) followed by upper extremity (19.9%), head (16.6%), spine (13.1%), chest (11.3%), and abdomen (3.8%). The most common earthquake-related head injury was laceration or contusion (59.1%), while epidural hematoma was the most common among inpatients with intracranial hemorrhage (9.5%) followed by intracerebral hematoma (7.0%), and subdural hematoma (6.8%). Mortality rate was 5.6%.

CONCLUSION: Head injuries were found to be a commonly occurring trauma along with extremity injuries. This knowledge is important for determining the demands for neurosurgery and for adequately managing patients, especially in resource-limited conditions.

Language: en

Keywords

earthquakes; intracranial hemorrhage; closed; craniocerebral trauma; head injuries; skull fractures; traumatic