Evaluation of patients who presented to the emergency department of a state hospital following the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş/Pazarcık and Elbistan, Türkiye

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze patients who presented to the emergency department of a state hospital following the devastating earthquakes of February 6, 2023, centered in Kahramanmaraş and to contribute updated evidence to the literature. METHODS: In this retrospective study, data were collected on patients presenting to the emergency department between February 6 and 13, 2023. Variables included demographic characteristics, patterns of presentation, province of origin, time elapsed since the event, chief complaints, clinical findings, treatments administered in the emergency department and during hospitalization, and patient outcomes. Comparisons were made between traumatic and nontraumatic cases, as well as between patients who arrived walk-in and those transported by ambulance. RESULTS: A total of 652 patients were evaluated. Of these, 58.6% were female, with a mean age of 30.87 ± 22.80 years. Most patients (84.2%) were discharged. The most frequent injury types were soft tissue injuries (31.7%), crush injuries (17.3%), and rhabdomyolysis (10.5%). Among patients admitted to the intensive care unit, 86.4% had traumatic injuries. Two-thirds (66.7%) of deceased patients were also traumatic cases. Ambulance transport was recorded in 24.8% of traumatic patients compared with 4.9% of nontraumatic patients. Notably, none of the traumatic patients transported by ambulance were discharged; 72.4% were hospitalized, 25% required intensive care, and 2.6% died. CONCLUSION: Unlike previous studies that focused mainly on epicentral hospitals, this study provides novel insights by evaluating both traumatic and nontraumatic patient presentations in a nonepicentral, secondary-care hospital located far from the disaster zone. This perspective highlights the delayed but significant healthcare burden in peripheral hospitals, which has been largely overlooked in the literature.