An Overview of a Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic After Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to reveal the characteristics of patients who were rehabilitated in a pediatric rehabilitation clinic after an earthquake disaster.

METHODS: The records of the earthquake victims who were affected by the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023 and hospitalized in our Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic between February 6 - June 6, 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' demographic data such as age, gender, the city they live in, duration of stay in the wreckage, Crush Syndrome and dialysis needs, fasciotomy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) history, amputation status and levels, accompanying fracture, peripheral nerve damage, brain injury and the presence of spinal cord injury were noted.
RESULTS: Of the 60 inpatients rehabilitated in our clinic, 31 (51.7％) were girls and 29 (48.3％) were boys. The mean age of the patients was 10 (±0.76) years. 22 (36.7％) of the patients had experienced earthquakes in Hatay, 21 (35％) in Adıyaman, 13 (21.6％) in Kahramanmaraş and 4 (6.7％) in Gaziantep. The length of stay in the wreckage of 50 patients was recorded, with a median of 12 (1-96) hours. Crush Syndrome developed in 25 (41.6％) of the patients, and 14 (23.3％) of them needed dialysis. HBOT was applied to 10 (16.6％) children. Peripheral nerve damage was detected in 42 (70％) children by electroneurophysiological or physical examination methods. The most damaged nerve was sciatic (16％). 34 (56.6％) patients underwent fasciotomy. There were fractures in a total of 13 (21.6％) children. 7 (11.6%) patients had amputations in various parts of the extremities. Five (8.3％) of the patients had varying degrees of traumatic brain injury. Spinal cord damage was not detected in any of our patients.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the pediatric population, musculoskeletal injuries caused by earthquakes and their complications are very important in the development and realization of disaster rehabilitation strategies.