J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2003 Dec;14(5):514-521.

Analysis of Transportation of Victims of the Subway Fire in Daegu

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea. jaechung@knu.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Daegu Catholic University Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
  • 3Daegu Emergency Medical Information Center, Daegu, Korea.
  • 4Department of Emergency Medicine, Daegu Fatima Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
  • 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
  • 6Department of Emergency Medicine, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
  • 7Department of Emergency Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Korea.
  • 8Department of Emergency Medicine, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to improve transportation and distribution of mass-casualty patients by reviewing the subway fire that occurred in Daegu on 18 February 2003.
METHODS
We used the reports of the Daegu Emergency Medical Information Center and the medical records of each hospital to analyze retrospectively 199 patients who were transported to 22 initial receiving hospitals. We evaluated the appropriateness of transportation based on the distances of transportation, the capability of the receiving hospitals, and the severity of patients. Using the SAS program(version 6.12), the collected data was analyzed by frequency and x(2) test.
RESULTS
The more severe the patients were, the nearer and larger the receiving hospitals were. There was no accurate triage at the scene, but the distribution of patients was good because members of Daegu Emergency Medical Information Center were dispatched to the scene and because communications between the scene and receiving hospitals were continuous.
CONCLUSION
We do not expect disasters, but they happen. All we can do is plan and prepare appropriate responses for disasters. Appropriate transportation and distribution of patients based on triage is an important aspect of early disaster response.

Keyword

Transportation; Triage; Disaster; Fire

MeSH Terms

Daegu*
Disasters
Emergencies
Fires*
Humans
Information Centers
Medical Records
Railroads*
Retrospective Studies
Transportation*
Triage
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