Curran T, Bogdanovski D A, Hicks A S, Bilaniuk J W, Adams J M, Siegel B K, DiFazio L T, Durling-Grover R, Nemeth Z H
Department of Surgery, Morristown Medical Center, 100 Madison Ave #88, Morristown, NJ, 07960, USA.
Department of Surgery, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, 185 S. Orange Ave, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.
Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2018 Feb;44(1):137-141. doi: 10.1007/s00068-017-0791-9. Epub 2017 May 10.
Hurricane Sandy was a particularly unusual storm with regard to both size and location of landfall. The storm landed in New Jersey, which is unusual for a tropical storm of such scale, and created hazardous conditions which caused injury to residents during the storm and in the months following. This study aims to describe differences in trauma center admissions and patterns of injury during this time period when compared to a period with no such storm.
Data were collected for this study from patients who were admitted to the trauma center at Morristown Medical Center during Hurricane Sandy or the ensuing cleanup efforts (patients admitted between 29 October 2012 and 27 December 2012) as well as a control group consisting of all patients admitted to the trauma center between 29 October 2013 and 27 December 2013. Patient information was collected to compare the admissions of the trauma center during the period of the storm and cleanup to the control period.
A total of 419 cases were identified in the storm and cleanup period. 427 were identified for the control. Striking injuries were more common in the storm and cleanup group by 266.7% (p = 0.0107); cuts were more common by 650.8% (p = 0.0044). Medical records indicate that many of these injuries were caused by Hurricane Sandy. Self-inflicted injuries were more common by 301.3% (p = 0.0294). There were no significant differences in the total number of patients, mortality, or injury severity score between the two cohorts.
The data we have collected show that the conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy and the following cleanup had a significant effect on injury patterns, with more patients having been injured by being struck by falling or thrown objects, cut while using tools, or causing self-inflicted injuries. These changes, particularly during the cleanup period, are indicative of environmental changes following the storm which increase these risks of injury.
飓风桑迪在规模和登陆地点方面都是一场极为特殊的风暴。该风暴在新泽西登陆，这对于如此规模的热带风暴来说并不常见，并且造成了危险状况，在风暴期间以及随后的数月里致使居民受伤。本研究旨在描述这一时期与无此类风暴时期相比，创伤中心收治情况及损伤模式的差异。
本研究收集了在飓风桑迪期间或随后清理工作期间（2012年10月29日至2012年12月27日入院的患者）入住莫里斯敦医疗中心创伤中心的患者数据，以及一个由2013年10月29日至2013年12月27日期间入住该创伤中心的所有患者组成的对照组。收集患者信息以比较风暴及清理期间创伤中心的收治情况与对照期。
在风暴及清理期间共识别出419例病例。对照组识别出427例。在风暴及清理组中，撞击伤更为常见，多出266.7%（p = 0.0107）；割伤更为常见，多出650.8%（p = 0.0044）。病历显示，这些损伤中有许多是由飓风桑迪造成的。自残伤更为常见，多出301.3%（p = 0.0294）。两组在患者总数、死亡率或损伤严重程度评分方面无显著差异。
我们收集的数据表明，飓风桑迪及其后的清理工作所造成的状况对损伤模式有显著影响，更多患者因被掉落或投掷的物体击中、使用工具时割伤或自残而受伤。这些变化，尤其是在清理期间，表明风暴后环境变化增加了这些受伤风险。
