Musculoskeletal injuries among victims of the Battagram, Pakistan earthquake in October 2005

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the type, pattern, and severity of musculoskeletal injuries, as well as the type of simple orthopedic surgical procedures, that can be performed at the site of a disaster. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Battagram, located in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan after the October 2005 earthquake. Researchers arrived in the affected area during the second week after the earthquake, and remained there for one week. During this period, patients were received from distant areas of the district. These patients were admitted to a tent hospital because the district headquarters hospital was completely damaged. Those requiring orthopedic surgical intervention or closed manipulation and plaster of paris casts were included in the study. RESULTS: Of 110 patients, 61 were female and 49 were male, and 140 bones were involved. In this series, 92 fractures were closed, while 48 were open. A total of 67.3% of the patients were Language: en