title: [Evaluation of the patients in Van Training and Research Hospital following the 2011 Van earthquake in Turkey].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  On 23 October 2011, an earthquake occurred in the city of Van, Turkey. This earthquake was an enormous devastating disaster and caused mass casualties. The descriptive analysis presented here serves as a reference not only for the present injury profile but also for future disaster response.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study based on the medical records of earthquake victims admitted to Van Training and Research Hospital. The results were compared with the current literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1582 earthquake victims (806 male, 776 female, mean age 36.9 years) were admitted to emergency service. 301 of the patients were treated with hospital care in different departments: 84 (27.9%) in orthopedics surgery, 40 (13.2%) in general and pediatric surgery, 26 (9%) in thorax surgery, 34 (11%) in neurosurgery, 56 (19%) in internal medicine, 39 (13%) in the intensive care unit, and 22 (7%) in other departments. The total number of deceased was 60.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To minimize mortality and morbidity after earthquake disaster, immediate and effective triage should be done, and after the patients are transported to the hospital, individualized treatment should be planned according to the patients' respective clinical features. Coherent collaboration between many departments is vital.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Service, Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dursun
authors.forename: Cemile Ayşe
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Görmeli
authors.forename: Gökay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Görmeli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055866:Earthquakes / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality