An earthquake disaster in Turkey: assessment of the need for plastic surgery services in a crisis intervention field hospital.

On August 17, 1999, an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude struck Turkey, resulting in the destruction of the cities Golcuk, Izmit, Adapazari, and Yalova. Three days later, the Israel Defense Force Field Hospital arrived at Adapazari, serving as a reinforcement hospital until the rehabilitation of the local medical facilities. Surgical services in the field hospital were supplied by general, orthopedic, and plastic surgeons. The authors evaluated all soft-tissue injuries managed at the hospital and assessed the need for plastic surgery services in a crisis intervention field hospital. Information was gathered regarding soft-tissue injuries throughout the activity of the hospital. In addition, patients' charts, operations' reports, and entry and evacuation logs were reviewed for all patients accepted and treated in the field hospital. Interviews of patients, local physicians, and citizens of Adapazari were performed to evaluate the medical situation in the first 3 days after the earthquake. A total of 1205 patients were treated by the field hospital in Adapazari; 138 (11.45 percent) of these patients sought aid for isolated soft-tissue injuries, 105 of which (76.09 percent) were earthquake-related. Twenty (51.28 percent) of the operations performed in the hospital were to treat soft-tissue injuries; 1.49 percent of all patients underwent minor surgical manipulations by the plastic surgeon on staff. Plastic surgery patients occupied 13.6 percent of the hospital beds. In conclusion, the authors find it beneficial to supply plastic surgery services at a field hospital in an earthquake situation.

An earthquake disaster in Turkey: an overview of the experience of the Israeli Defence Forces Field Hospital in Adapazari.

On 17 August 1999 at 3:04 a.m., an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude (Richter scale) struck the Marmara region in Turkey. The city of Adapazari suffered 2,680 fatalities with approximately 5,300 injured. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) field hospital arrived at Adapazari, on day four after the quake. The team consisted of 102 personnel. The field hospital acted as a secondary referral centre. A total of 1,205 patients were treated in the field hospital between day four and day 14 of the earthquake. The frequency distribution of the medical problems seen in the field hospital was 32 per cent internal medicine, 13 per cent general surgery including plastic, 21 per cent orthopaedic surgery, 23 per cent paediatric disease, 10 per cent obstetrics and gynaecology and 1 per cent major psychiatric disorders. A mean number of 35 patients per day were hospitalised in the field hospital for between 24 hours to one week. The rapid establishment of the field hospital enabled the local medical facilities to 'buy time' in order to organise and restore surgical and hospitalisation abilities in this disastrous situation.

Postoperative rhabdomyolysis in patients with end-stage renal failure.

Four patients with end-stage renal failure on intermittent hemodialysis in whom rhabdomyolysis developed after major surgery are described. This possibly underdiagnosed complication was manifested by extreme hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, and elevated creatine phosphokinase levels. Serum myoglobin levels further supported the diagnosis. The metabolic abnormalities reached a peak on the fourth postoperative day. The possible precipitating factors included opiates used for anesthesia and postoperative pain control, anesthetic agents, and surgical position. The preferred treatment option is increasing dialysis to control hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia.

Case report: severe hyponatremia after water intoxication: a potential cause of rhabdomyolysis.

A 28-year-old woman, treated for schizophrenia, developed severe hypotonic hyponatremia (serum Na: 109 mEq/L) after several days of compulsive water drinking. The patient was admitted in a coma and required intensive supportive therapy. Rhabdomyolysis quickly followed with high serum creatine phosphokinase levels and myoglobinuria. A high volume alkaline diuresis was initiated. Renal failure or compartment syndrome did not complicate the clinical picture. The mechanisms causing water intoxication and hyponatremia are discussed as are the possible pathogenetic explanations behind acute hyponatremia and rhabdomyolysis.

Nifedipine in asthma. Dose-related effect on resting bronchial tone.

In order to study the dose-related effect of nifedipine on expiratory flow rates, 15 asthmatic patients were given sublingually 10 mg and 20 mg of the drug on two different days and the FVC and FEV1 were measured during 90 minutes. Then they received 2.5 mg albuterol (Salbutamol) by inhalation, and the two parameters were measured again after 30 minutes. It was found that the drug has a dose-related effect on expiratory flow rates. Indeed, 20 mg nifedipine produced a mild (less than 10 percent) but significant improvement in FVC (p less than 0.01) and FEV1 (p less than 0.05), while the response to 10 mg was mild, not significant and manifested rather by a decrease in both parameters. In three patients, the forced expiratory flow rates markedly worsened. No correlation could be established between the effect of nifedipine and the severity of the disease. In contrast, the improvement produced by albuterol was strongly related to the degree of airway obstruction (p less than 0.001). Nifedipine in both doses did not potentiate the bronchodilatation induced by albuterol.

[Non-cardiac pulmonary edema in a patient with recent cardiac pulmonary edema]. / Edema polmonare non cardiaco in un paziente con recente edema polmonare cardiaco.

Pulmonary oedema may be cardiac or non-cardiac in origin: these two forms are clinically indistinguishable and their treatments are completely different. A case of pulmonary oedema is reported. This was believed to be of cardiac origin but did not respond to conventional treatment with diuretics and positive fibrotropic drugs. Insertion of a Swan-Ganz catheter revealed low capillary wedge on pressure. This, in turn, indicates that pulmonary oedema is non-cardiac in origin. The administration of liquids and cortisones led to a rapid improvement in the patient's condition. It is concluded that, whenever conventional treatment of pulmonary oedema fails, the possibility of non-cardiac oedema should be considered. In order to check this, capillary wedge pressure is measured.