Emergency Field Hospital Surgical Response to Cyclone Chido in Mayotte

The Island of Mayotte was struck by the tropical cyclone CHIDO on 12/14/2024. The French government decided to deploy the Element de Securite Civile Rapide d'Intervention Medicale (ESCRIM) involving a joint detachment of rescue engineers from UIISC7 (Unité d'Instruction et d'Intervention de la Sécurité Civile) and firefighters, comprising a medical support and hospitalization detachment and a surgical support detachment. The aim of this work is to focus on the role of ESCRIM surgical team in Mayotte.

ESCRIM received 5533 patients between 12/24/2024 and 02/03/2025. A prospective cohort study was conducted from 12/31/2024 to 01/20/2025 on a subset of 130 consecutive patients which underwent surgery in the operating room (OR). Variables included patient demographics, surgical indications, and anaesthetic techniques used. Anonymised data were collected from medical records, surgical reports, and clinical notes.

There were 169 surgical procedures. The mean age of the patients was 31 years, 68% were female, and 27% of procedures were performed in children. General anaesthesia was used in 57% of procedures. The main surgical indications were post-traumatic extremity septic wounds of the upper limb (38%) and lower limb (27%). 80% of the wounds were grade IV according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Surgical Wound Classification.

This study highlights the importance of adapting surgical practices in resource-limited settings and the necessity of in-depth cooperation and coordination among the entire response team and local practitioners. The results of this study contribute to the ongoing challenges of data collection in austere or limited environments.