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The Pentagon and 9/11
Dennis Wang1, Jack Sava, George Sample
1Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
Insights
The 9/11 Pentagon attack resulted in few critically injured patients, with regional hospitals quickly resuming normal operations. Burn patients increased workload but did not impact subsequent admissions, highlighting the need for broader patient transfer plans for larger disasters.
Area of Science:
- Medical response
- Disaster preparedness
- Trauma care
Background:
- The September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon necessitated a review of the medical system's response.
- Understanding the impact of mass casualty events on healthcare infrastructure is crucial for future preparedness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and discuss the medical response to the Pentagon attack on September 11, 2001.
- To evaluate the capacity of regional healthcare facilities to manage casualties from a large-scale attack.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of hospital records and emergency agency reports.
- Observational study conducted at an adult tertiary hospital with specialized burn and trauma centers.
Main Results:
- 106 patients were treated at area facilities; 49 admitted, 57 released.
- Nine patients admitted to the burn center with an average of 34% total body surface area burn.
- 108 operations performed, with average critical care and hospital stays of 31 and 61.7 days, respectively.
Conclusions:
- The Pentagon attack resulted in fewer severely injured patients than anticipated.
- Regional hospitals maintained normal function post-event, with burn services experiencing manageable increases in workload.
- Consideration of regional and national cooperation for patient transfer is recommended for scenarios involving a larger number of critically injured patients.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to review and discuss the medical response to the Pentagon attack on September 11, 2001.
Design:
The authors conducted a retrospective review of hospital records and emergency agency report.
Setting:
This study was conducted at an adult tertiary hospital with regional burn and trauma centers.
Interventions:
Observational.
Results:
One hundred eighty-nine persons lost their lives. Area health facilities received 106 patients; 49 were admitted for treatments and 57 were treated and released. Nine patients were admitted to the burn center. The average total body burn surface was 34%. The average age was 45 yrs. A total of 108 operations were performed. The average burn critical care and hospital length of stays were 31 and 61.7 days, respectively. One patient died of an inhalation injury on day 7.
Conclusions:
The Pentagon attack produced few severely injured patients. The regional hospitals were back to normal function the day after. The severely burned patients increased the workload of the burn service but did not affect admissions of subsequent non-Pentagon patients after the second day. In case of a much larger number of critically injured patients, regional to national cooperation and transfer of patients should be considered.
