Suicide bombings: process of care of mass casualties in the developing world |
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Authors: | Masood Umer Yasir J Sepah Munira M Shahpurwala Hasnain Zafar |
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Institution: | Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan;;Research Associate at the Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi;;and Instructor at the Department of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi. |
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Abstract: | In recent times Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, has witnessed numerous terrorist attacks. The city does not have an emergency response system and only one of the three public sector hospitals has a trauma centre. We describe the pattern of injuries and management of two terror-related mass casualty incidents involving suicide bombers in a developing nation with limited resources. The first incident occurred in May 2002 with 36 casualties, of whom 13 (36%) died immediately and 11 (30.5%) died at the primary receiving hospitals. The second incident was targeted against the local population in May 2004. The blast resulted in 104 casualties, of which 14 (13.46%) died at the site. All patients had their initial assessment and treatment based on Advanced Trauma and Life Support principles and documented on a trauma form. |
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Keywords: | emergency response system injuries mortality suicide bombing terrorism |
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