Clinical Features of Long Term Confined Patients Due to a Building Collapse Disaster

Kim, Sang Il; Cho, Sung Won; Kim, Young Ok; Park, Chul Whui; Yoon, Sung No; Yang, Chul Woo; Jin, Dong Chan; Chang, Yoon Sik; Bang, Byung Kee

Abstract

Following the department store building collapse disaster on June 29, 1995, more than 140 people were brought to emergency care center of the Catholic medical center. Among them three starvated people due to long term confined in the collapsed building and one severe crush injured patient developed to prerenal azotemia and ARF. Case 1, 21- year-old man had been confined in the collapsed building debris for 11 days, he had been able to drink water and showed only mild dehydration on admission. Case 2, 3, 18-year-old woman and 19- year-old woman had been confined for 13 and 17 days even without water intake. They were severely dehydrated, hypotensive and hypernatremia on admission. Case 4, 39-year-old man was crushed by building debris and rescued 22 hours later and was diagnosed as ARF due to traumatic rhabdomyolysis. Case 1, 2 and 3 improved immediately only with fluid therapy. Case 4 progressed to acute tubular necrosis, in spite of therapy, and required hemodialysis. Severe dehydration due to long term starvation in young healthy person over 17 days did not progressed to acute tubular necrosis only with adequate fluid therapy. To prevent acute tubular necrosis in crush injured patient, needs more immediate and intensive fluid therapy at the rescue and careful correction of hypernatremia.