Analysis on wound infection of patients at different periods after Chinese Wenchuan earthquake / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To discuss how to reduce the incidence of postoperative infection and am-putation of patients after earthquake.Methods The wound infection and corresponding therapeutic outcome were analyzed in 592 patients in front line hospitals and station hospitals.Results The inci-dence of infection was 30. 7% in patients treated in front hospital within 8 hours post-trauma but 79. 9% after 8 hours post-trauma. There included 1 patient(0. 2%) with amputation due to clostridial myonecro-sis and 5(1. 2%)with amputation due to serious infection. Incidelice of postoperative wound infection was 7. 1% after selective operation for close injury. The incidence of infection in patients in station hospi-tals was 50. 8%, with no amputation, because they received debridement and antibiotics in site or front line hospitals. No postoperative infection was found in patients with close injury treated with selective op-eration in station hospitals. The major bacteria of wound infection in either front line hospitals or station hospitals were enterococcus faecalis and Eschrichia Coli. Incidence of combined infection was higher than that of single infection. And Gram-Negative bacillus infection exceeded Gram-Positive bacillus infection. The major wound infection obrained effective control through treatment with sensitive antibiotics.Con-clusions After earthqiale, the incidence of infection in patients with open injury is high, with high am-putation rate due to serious infection. Therefore, we propose performing as soon as possible debridement and external fixation with antibiotic treatment but reducing internal fixation. The postoperative infection late of patients with close injury in front line hospitals is much higher than that in station hospitals;their-fore, patients with stable vital signs should be transported to station hospitals as early as possible in order to reduce incidenee of infection.