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2015 Nepal Earthquake: Analysis of Child Rescue and Treatment by a Field Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2016

Jun Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force
Hui Ding
Affiliation:
Institute of Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Affiliated Hospital of Logistic University of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force Key Laboratory of Emergency and Disaster Medicine in Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)
Qi Lv
Affiliation:
Institute of Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Affiliated Hospital of Logistic University of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force Key Laboratory of Emergency and Disaster Medicine in Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)
Jin-hong Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Research and Training, General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force.
Yan-feng Sun
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force
Hao-jun Fan
Affiliation:
Institute of Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Affiliated Hospital of Logistic University of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force Key Laboratory of Emergency and Disaster Medicine in Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)
Qiu-ling Liu*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Liu Qiu-ling, General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force, Yongding Rd 69, Haidian District, Beijing, China, 100039 (e-mail: liuqiuling86@163.com).

Abstract

Objective

To retrospectively analyze the rescue and treatment of pediatric patients by the Chinese Red Cross medical team during the Nepal earthquake relief.

Methods

The medical team set up a field hospital; the pediatric clinic consisted of 1 pediatrician and several nurses. Children younger than 18 years old were placed in the pediatric clinic for injury examination and treatment.

Results

During the 7-day period of medical assistance (the second to third week after the earthquake), a total of 108 pediatric patients were diagnosed and treated, accounting for 2.8% of the total patients. The earthquake-related injuries mainly required surgical dressing and debridement. No severe limb fractures or traumatic brain injuries were found. Infection of the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, and the skin were the most common ailments, accounting for 42.3%, 18.5%, and 16.7%, respectively, of the total treated patients.

Conclusion

Two to 3 weeks after the earthquake, the admitted pediatric patients mainly displayed respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. When developing a rescue plan and arranging medical resources, we should consider the necessity of treating non–disaster-related conditions. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 4)

Type
Brief Reports
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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Footnotes

Wang Jun, Ding Hui, and Lv Qi contributed equally to this work.

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