TITLE:
Comparative Study on the Trans-Province Transfer of the Multiple Trauma Patients after Sichuan Earthquake
AUTHORS:
Guodong Liu, Shan Ou, Jun Qiu, Danfeng Yuan, Zhihuan Yang, Zongke Zhou, Yuan Yao, Suxing Wang, Xiuzhu Zhang, Wuchao Wang, Dawei Liu, Zhengguo Wang, Jihong Zhou
KEYWORDS:
Earthquake, Hospital Transfer, Vital Signs, Injury Severity Score, Prognosis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Earthquake Research,
Vol.5 No.1,
February
15,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: Trans-province transfer of the patients has been successfully carried out and has
greatly relieved the burden of the hospitals in Sichuan Province after Sichuan earthquake. The aim
of the study was to retrospectively analyze the efficacy and feasibility of the trans-province transfer
of the multiple trauma patients after Sichuan earthquake. Methods: A retrospective and descriptive
analysis was conducted based on the medical records of the multiple trauma patients
(ISS ≥ 16) transferred to the Grade 3A hospitals outside Sichuan province. The patients were divided
into two groups based on the distance to Sichuan province, i.e., Group A (the seismic patients
transferred to Chongqing) and Group B (the seismic patients transferred to the other provinces/
municipalities). A comparison was done in aspects of distance of transfer, time from injury to
transfer, vital signs, the infection rates (at transfer and on discharge), injury severity and prognostic
indices (cure rate, disability rate and mortality). Results: The distance between Chengdu
and the other places was at a wide range of 313 - 1653 km, whereas the time from injury to transfer
showed no statistical difference between groups (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences
between both groups with respects to patient demographics, injury mechanism, time from injury to transfer, vital signs, infection rate and injury severity. The prognostic indices showed no
significant difference, except for FIM scores (P