Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS2023; Neurosurgery & Technology at the Service of Humanity) meeting, Barcelona, İspanya, 24 - 28 Eylül 2023, cilt.1, sa.3, ss.56-57
Background: The Maras Earthquake occurred on 6th of February, 2023 has
rendered thousands homeless and has killed more than 40 thousand people. In
hyperacute period, search and rescue teams raced with time to extract people
under the rubles alive. Wounded people could not get to the closest hospitals
because of the same demolition fell upon them and nearest establishments were
not in use. Government organized a volunteer nexus to be transferred to the
disaster zones and volunteered doctors, nurses and medical technicians started
working at field hospitals and hospitals of the area if utilizable. We aimed to
share our experiences regarding the difficulties neurosurgeons have encountered
for providing healthcare to earthquake victims.
Methods: The neurosurgical team encountered unforeseeable challenges that
raised the mental and physical stakes very high. Conditions of the victims needed
multidisciplinary approach to multi-system trauma. Victims were adults, children
and infants whose parents still were not found. Without proper operative
settlement, surgical and instrumental tools and with under-experienced staff
replacement due to rotations of experienced nurses, providing a surgical treatment
stood more than a grueling challenge. We took turns of rotations to floor
service, emergency services and consultation requests.
Results: After one week at Dortyol City Hospital, Hatay, Türkiye, one of the most
effected sites in the earthquake, tens of victims were operated, mostly spinal
instrumentation due to axial trauma and many of them who received cranial
trauma monitored in ICU for appropriate duration.
Conclusions: What healthcare providers do under humanitarian crises is put
one-self apart and treat patients without taking care of one-self’s needs if situation
calls for it. What we present is to share our experiences on this extraordinary
situation and let our colleagues to be aware of the challenges if one needs to work
under such conditions.