Orthopaedic injury analysis in the 2010 Yushu, China earthquake

By analysing the injuries of the orthopaedic wounded during the 2010 Yushu earthquake, we aim to provide useful medical information for the rational application and allocation of medical resources and better implementation of medical relief in earthquake-stricken areas.

Five hundred and eighty-two orthopaedic patients injured during the earthquake. The clinical data, injury conditions and epidemiological features (including age composition, gender ratio, distribution of injury, etc.) were collected and analysed.

Altogether 582 orthopaedic patients were analysed. The average age for all patients was 38.8±13.08 years (0-86 years). Adults accounted for 81.62%. There was no gender difference. The most common injuries included limb fractures, pelvic/acetabular fractures and spinal fractures. Fractures accompany with nerve injury were relatively low, only 17 patients account for 2.92%. Fractures complicated by crush syndrome were even lower, only 7 patients account for 1.20%.

The patients who experienced fractures in the Yushu earthquake were mostly adults. This was correlated with population composition in Yushu area. This time all the orthopaedic injuries were relative mild with less complication as nerve injury or crush syndrome mainly because of the characteristics of the house structure in Yushu area.