Pediatric wound infections following 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes: case series

The Kahramanmaras earthquakes in Turkey on February 6, 2023, resulted in more than 100 000 injuries and 50 500 deaths. The main causes of morbidity and mortality in earthquake-affected patients include crush syndrome, trauma-related extremity injuries, and wound infections.

To investigate infective complications, causative microorganisms, treatments, and treatment responses in pediatric patients.

The case series involved 12 earthquake victims admitted to a tertiary treatment center between February 9 and 24, 2023. Wound sample cultures were obtained from patients with infected wounds via wound secretions and tissue samples collected during surgery.

Nine patients were male (75%), and the mean age of patients was 12.6 ± 3.7 years. Seven patients (58.3%) experienced crush syndrome. Seven patients (58.3%) underwent fasciotomy operations. The main infectious complications were wound infections (58.3%) and urinary tract infections (25%). Nine different organisms were found to cause wound infection, with Enterococcus faecium (41.6%), Acinetobacter baumanii (33.3%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.6%) being the major bacterial isolates. All Acinetobacter strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR).

Major disasters such as earthquakes are rare, and infections are the major complications that increase morbidity and mortality. Initial appropriate treatment contributes to improved outcomes, as MDR strains are common pathogens in these patients.