Avianca flight No. 052 accident: a plastic surgical perspective

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Emergency Medicine
• Aviation Accident Analysis

Background:

• The Avianca Airlines flight 052 crash on January 25, 1990, in Cove Neck, New York, resulted in 72 fatalities and 89 hospital admissions.
• The accident occurred in a challenging wooded terrain, necessitating a coordinated response from 37 volunteer fire and rescue units.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review injuries sustained in a major aviation accident.
• To highlight the team management approach in a suburban mass casualty incident.
• To analyze the potential for similar large-scale accidents.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 38 patients treated at two Level I trauma centers (North Shore University Hospital and Nassau County Medical Center).
• Analysis of injury types, surgical interventions, and patient outcomes, including length of hospital stay.

Main Results:

• 68% of patients sustained significant multiple orthopedic injuries, primarily open tibia-fibula fractures.
• 10 patients required soft-tissue coverage for open long bone fractures, involving microvascular transfers and flaps.
• 7 patients underwent complex facial fracture repair, and plastic surgery was common for lacerations.

Conclusions:

• The study underscores the severity of injuries in aviation disasters and the effectiveness of organized EMS and trauma center response.
• Effective team management and rapid transport were crucial for patient survival and treatment.
• The findings provide insights into the medical management of mass casualty incidents resulting from aviation accidents.