Background: During a major earthquake, escape attempts or collapsed buildings can result in injury, disability, and even death for victims. The aim of this study is to examine the demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, and injuries of victims admitted to the emergency department within the first week after an earthquake.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study conducted on earthquake victims who were admitted to the emergency services of a tertiary medical faculty and a training and research hospital in the city of Diyarbakir, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, from February 6 through February 12, 2023.Results: Of the eligible 662 earthquake victims, the mean age was 10.66 (SD = 4.78 [min 0, max 17]) in children, 36.87 (SD = 4.78 [min 18, max 63]) in adults, and 72.85 (SD = 5.83 [min 65, max 84]) in the elderly. Women constituted 52.8% of the victims, 19.7% were children, and 8.0% were elderly. Sixty-one percent (61.0%) of earthquake victims were admitted to emergency services in the first three days following the disaster; 37.7% of all victims were transferred from other affected cities to Diyarbakır. In all, 80.2% of the victims were admitted as survivors to the emergency services (36.8% were rescued under rubble, 40.1% with injuries while attempting to escape the earthquake, and 3.3% with nontraumatic reasons) and 19.8% were deceased under rubble. The majority of the 131 deceased victims were women (52.7%), 20.6% were children, and 7.6% were elderly. An estimated 38.3% of victims were hospitalized (20.9% in the ward and 17.4% in the intensive care unit [ICU]). For all age groups that survived under the rubble, the extremities were most injured (53.6% for children, 53.1% for adults, and 55.5% for the elderly). Of adult survivors, 26.6% needed only fluid therapy, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required 20.7%, and 11.8% required amputation. Of children survivors under the rubble, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required for only four, seven required amputation, and 12 needed only fluid resuscitation for crush injury. Of elderly survivors, two needed only fluid therapy, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required for two, and no amputation was required. Six patients survived under the rubble and died in the ICU.Conclusion: The definition of the demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of earthquake patients is critical to the development of preparedness, response, and recovery policies for future disasters.

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of lockdown measures implemented due to COVID‐19 on aetiology, sociodemographic characteristics, and clinical status of burn cases. This study was carried out retrospectively at the Burn Unit of Dicle University Medical Faculty Hospital. The burn cases during the COVID‐19 outbreak were compared with those of the previous 2 years. Statistical analyses were carried out using the IBM SPSS (Statistics Package for Social Sciences) Statistics 25. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t‐test, Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test, and Shapiro‐Wilk test were used for data evaluation. Results were evaluated at 95% confidence interval and P < .05 significance level. It was determined that burn cases were reduced by half during the COVID‐19 compared to the previous 2 years. Despite the increase in the number of third‐degree burns and surgeries, it was determined that the length of hospital stay decreased by an average of two thirds. Hot liquids have been identified as the most important cause of burns in all years. New studies should be conducted in order to examine the social dimension of COVID‐19 pandemic in burn cases and to prevent these cases completely. The short hospital stay preferred by clinicians after COVID‐19 and possible problems that may arise should be investigated.

This study aimed to examine the perceived stress and body image in burn patients and the relationship between these two variables. This is a descriptive and cross‐sectional study. The study included total of 144 patients who had burn injuries, received treatment in a research and training hospital and were scheduled to be discharged. The data were collected prospectively by the researchers, using descriptive methods, Kruskal Wallis test, paired samples t test, and Pearson's correlation analysis. Of the patients, 59% were between the ages of 18 and 35 years, 68.1% were male, 65.3% had second‐degree burns, 77.1% had burn surfaces ranging between 10% and 20% of their body, and 54.9% had autograft surgery. The burn patients aged 51 years and over had higher perceived stress than younger patients, and the difference between them was statistically significant (P < 0.05). As the percentage of burn surface increased, the perceived stress increased, and the perceived body image weakened (P < 0.05). The burn patients with autograft surgery had lower perceived stress and higher perceived body image than those without autograft surgery, and the difference between them was statistically significant (P < 0.01). This study found an inverse relationship between perceived stress and body image in burn patients, which was affected by the percentage of burn surface and autograft surgery. Relevant interventions are suggested to increase perceived body image in burn patients and reduce their perceived stress.

Burn injuries are the third most common cause of death in children due to trauma. Hospitalizations related to burn injuries are common. Prolonged hospitalization associated with burn treatment can result in increased resource utilization, leading to higher costs. Thus, it is essential to investigate these areas to reduce costs. The study investigated the morbidity and length of hospital stay of paediatric burn patients, as well as calculated the social security costs of hospitalization and treatment. The retrospective observational descriptive study examined the medical records of 774 paediatric patients treated in a burn intensive care unit at a tertiary medical faculty hospital between 01 March 2019 and 31 March 2022. The invoice records of payments made by the Social Security Institution to the hospital in return for health services provided to patients were examined. The healthcare costs were calculated. A total of 57.6% of the participants were boys and 79.2% were between the ages of 1–4. About 90% of the cases involved burns with a total body surface area (TBSA) of less than 20% and a 2nd‐degree burn depth. Scalding was the most common cause of burns (88.2%). Among all patients, the mortality rate was 2.1% (n = 16). The mean length of hospital stay was 10.29 ± 9.59 days. The mean cost per day was 212.02 ± 190.94 US dollars ($US), and the cost per 1% TBSA was 241.70 ± 301.32 $US. According to the causes of burn injury, the mean cost of electricity was 5000.77 ± 8101.85 $US, fire 4818.02 ± 5852.22 $US, and chemical 3285.49 ± 4503.2 $US were observed in the first 3 ranks respectively. According to this study, paediatric burn cases occur due to preventable causes, and even though the mortality rate was low, the severity of burns, TBSA%, and presence of complications caused prolonged lengths of hospital stays, which caused social security costs to rise.

Purpose: In our study, the characteristics, treatment approach and long-term outcomes of condyle fractures treated in the pediatric plastic surgery and reconstruction unit in the last 10 years were evaluated. Materials and Methods: This study consisted of two retrospective and prospective sections with the participation of pediatric patients with condylar fractures who were treated in the Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery clinic of a university hospital in the last 10 years. In the retrospective section, data were obtained from the electronic patient records and patient files regarding the treatment applied, as well as the characteristics of the patient and condyle fractures. In the perspective section, patients were invited to the clinic and the effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for IBM 25 package program. Results: It was determined that 55.8% of the pediatric patients had accompanying facial fractures, and 72.4% had unilateral condyle fractures. It was determined that 59.5% of the pediatric patients underwent intermaxillary fixation (IMF). Physical complications were seen in 6.75% in the long term after treatment. Conclusion: Falling from height and traffic accidents, which are the most important factors in the occurrence of condyle fractures, should be eliminated by increasing parental attention and awareness. Surgical treatment should be considered in the treatment of pediatric condyle fractures, especially if there are accompanying facial and mandible bone fractures.

This study was conducted to examine red cell distribution width (RDW) as a prognostic criterion in severe burns. The study is a descriptive correlational study and was carried out retrospectively. Patients with high RDW and low albumin values among severe burn injuries in the burn unit of a university hospital constituted half of the sample. Severe burns with RDW within normal range and a prognostic criterion for which albumin level normal and closest to normal accounted for the other half. RDW and albumin values were compared with the clinical results of patients with severe burns. IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Statistics 25 was used for data analysis. Of the burn patients, 38.33% were between the age of 65–80, 51.67% were men, and 92.5% had third‐degree burns. The mean albumin level of the patients was 2.39 ± 0.34 g/dL, and the mean RDW level was 18.47 ± 6.15%. The length of the stay in the intensive care unit was 13.45 ± 7.83 days, and the duration of central venous catheter use was 23.41 ± 8.25 days. High RDW and low albumin values were found to be associated with death, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and more blood transfusion. High RDW and hypoalbuminemia significantly affect the clinical results of severe burns. Both parameters are effective in determining the clinical course of burn patients, the length of hospital stay, presence of catheters and medication treatment protocol.