Secondary definitive surgery for multiple injuries from Wenchuan earthquake in China.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the opportune time of secondary definitive surgery for patients with multiple injuries from earthquakes based on the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score and the principles of damage control.


METHODS
Twenty-one patients with critical earthquake injuries were treated with damage control strategies, followed by medical support and surgical intervention to restore their physical potential in the intensive care unit (ICU). Successive APACHE II scoring was adopted to evaluate the patients'physiological status, and then, internal fixation of fractures and other definitive operations were performed.


RESULTS
All the patients were effectively treated with few complications, low deformity rate and no death.


CONCLUSIONS
Appropriate evaluation of patients?physiological potential, right decision on surgical time and proper operative method can reduce the rates of complications, disability and death for patients with critical earthquake injuries.
Zhao
Jian-Ning
JN
Department of Orthopedics, Jinling Hospital, Clinical College of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, China. zhaojianning.0207@163.com
Wang
Rui
R
Wang
Bei-Yue
BY
Shi
Xin
X
Mao
Guang-Ping
GP
Bao
Ni-Rong
NR
Qian
Hong-Bo
HB
Cong
Yu
Y
D018806:APACHE; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000601:surgery*