TY - JOUR
PY - 2009//
TI - The Association Between Roofing Material and Head Injuries During the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China
JO - Annals of emergency medicine
A1 - Wang, Lili
A1 - Lei, De-lin
A1 - He, Li-sheng
A1 - Liu, Yan-pu
A1 - Long, Yong
A1 - Cao, Jia
A1 - Cao, Michael
A1 - Wei, Jian-hua
A1 - Zhao, Yi-min
SP - e10
EP - 5
VL - 54
IS - 3
N2 - STUDY OBJECTIVE: We analyze the spectrum of earthquake-related head injuries resulting in hospitalization and arising from the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China. An additional objective is to assess injury patterns associated with 2 types of roofing structures found in this region of China. METHODS: This descriptive study included data on trauma patients at 8 hospitals in Jiangyou for the 14 days immediately after the earthquake. The patients were either from Jiangyou County, which experienced a modified Mercalli intensity level of VIII, or from Beichuan County (Mercalli intensity level of X). Of the 5,775 earthquake-related injuries, 1,484 (25.7%) involved the head and were classified into 4 categories. Seven injury mechanisms were also analyzed to determine the association with the 4 types of head injuries. RESULTS: Scalp injuries (43%) were the most common type of head injuries, followed by facial injuries, 482 (32%), intracranial injuries, 218 (15%), and skull fractures, 117 (8%). Differences in injury type and cause were apparent, with scalp injuries being more common (49%) in Jiangyou than in Beichuan (30%) and falling clay tiles contributing more (40%) to this injury in the former city than the latter (6%). In contrast, precast concrete plank roofing caused 20% of scalp injuries in Beichuan compared with 3% in Jiangyou. CONCLUSION: Scalp injuries were the most common head injury type. Falling clay roofing tiles and precast concrete plank roofs are important injury mechanisms, and their contribution may reflect differences in building construction. Language: en
LA - en
SN - 0196-0644
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.03.028
ID - ref1
ER -