Hypothermia in victims of the Great East Japan earthquake: A survey in miyagi prefecture

Hajime Furukawa; Daisuke Kudo; Atsuhiro Nakagawa; Takashi Matsumura; Yoshiko Abe; Ryota Konishi; Satoshi Yamanouchi; Satoru Ishibashi; Masakazu Kobayashi; Norio Narita; Toshikatsu Washio; Tatsuhiko Arafune; Teiji Tominaga; Shigeki Kushimoto

doi:10.1017/dmp.2014.70

Hypothermia in victims of the Great East Japan earthquake: A survey in miyagi prefecture

Hajime Furukawa, Daisuke Kudo, Atsuhiro Nakagawa, Takashi Matsumura, Yoshiko Abe, Ryota Konishi, Satoshi Yamanouchi, Satoru Ishibashi, Masakazu Kobayashi, Norio Narita, Toshikatsu Washio, Tatsuhiko Arafune, Teiji Tominaga, Shigeki Kushimoto

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Results A total of 91 inpatients from 13 hospitals were identified. Tsunami victims comprised 73% of the patients with hypothermia. Within 24 hours of the earthquake, 66 patients were admitted. Most patients with a temperature of 32°C or higher were treated with passive external rewarming with blankets. Discharge without sequelae was reported for 83.3% of patients admitted within 24 hours of the earthquake and 44.0% of those admitted from 24 to 72 hours after the earthquake. Heating systems were restored within 3 days of the earthquake at 43% of the hospitals.

Conclusions Hypothermia in patients hospitalized within 72 hours of the earthquake was primarily due to cold-water exposure during the tsunami. Many patients were successfully treated in spite of the post-earthquake disruption of regional social infrastructure.

Objective: A survey was conducted to describe the characteristics of patients treated for hypothermia after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods: Written questionnaires were distributed to 72 emergency medical hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture. Data were requested regarding inpatients with a temperature less than 36°C admitted within 72 hours after the earthquake. The availability of functional heating systems and the time required to restore heating after the earthquake were also documented.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	379-389
Number of pages	11
Journal	Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
Volume	8
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2014.70
Publication status	Published - 2014 Sept 12

Keywords

hypothermia
the Great East Japan Earthquake
tsunami disaster

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1017/dmp.2014.70

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Furukawa, H., Kudo, D., Nakagawa, A., Matsumura, T., Abe, Y., Konishi, R., Yamanouchi, S., Ishibashi, S., Kobayashi, M., Narita, N., Washio, T., Arafune, T., Tominaga, T., & Kushimoto, S. (2014). Hypothermia in victims of the Great East Japan earthquake: A survey in miyagi prefecture. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 8(5), 379-389. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2014.70

Furukawa, H, Kudo, D , Nakagawa, A, Matsumura, T, Abe, Y, Konishi, R, Yamanouchi, S, Ishibashi, S, Kobayashi, M, Narita, N, Washio, T, Arafune, T, Tominaga, T & Kushimoto, S 2014, 'Hypothermia in victims of the Great East Japan earthquake: A survey in miyagi prefecture', Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 379-389. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2014.70

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abstract = "Results A total of 91 inpatients from 13 hospitals were identified. Tsunami victims comprised 73% of the patients with hypothermia. Within 24 hours of the earthquake, 66 patients were admitted. Most patients with a temperature of 32°C or higher were treated with passive external rewarming with blankets. Discharge without sequelae was reported for 83.3% of patients admitted within 24 hours of the earthquake and 44.0% of those admitted from 24 to 72 hours after the earthquake. Heating systems were restored within 3 days of the earthquake at 43% of the hospitals.Conclusions Hypothermia in patients hospitalized within 72 hours of the earthquake was primarily due to cold-water exposure during the tsunami. Many patients were successfully treated in spite of the post-earthquake disruption of regional social infrastructure.Objective: A survey was conducted to describe the characteristics of patients treated for hypothermia after the Great East Japan Earthquake.Methods: Written questionnaires were distributed to 72 emergency medical hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture. Data were requested regarding inpatients with a temperature less than 36°C admitted within 72 hours after the earthquake. The availability of functional heating systems and the time required to restore heating after the earthquake were also documented.",

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author = "Hajime Furukawa and Daisuke Kudo and Atsuhiro Nakagawa and Takashi Matsumura and Yoshiko Abe and Ryota Konishi and Satoshi Yamanouchi and Satoru Ishibashi and Masakazu Kobayashi and Norio Narita and Toshikatsu Washio and Tatsuhiko Arafune and Teiji Tominaga and Shigeki Kushimoto",

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T1 - Hypothermia in victims of the Great East Japan earthquake

T2 - A survey in miyagi prefecture

AU - Furukawa, Hajime

AU - Kudo, Daisuke

AU - Nakagawa, Atsuhiro

AU - Matsumura, Takashi

AU - Abe, Yoshiko

AU - Konishi, Ryota

AU - Yamanouchi, Satoshi

AU - Ishibashi, Satoru

AU - Kobayashi, Masakazu

AU - Narita, Norio

AU - Washio, Toshikatsu

AU - Arafune, Tatsuhiko

AU - Tominaga, Teiji

AU - Kushimoto, Shigeki

PY - 2014/9/12

Y1 - 2014/9/12

N2 - Results A total of 91 inpatients from 13 hospitals were identified. Tsunami victims comprised 73% of the patients with hypothermia. Within 24 hours of the earthquake, 66 patients were admitted. Most patients with a temperature of 32°C or higher were treated with passive external rewarming with blankets. Discharge without sequelae was reported for 83.3% of patients admitted within 24 hours of the earthquake and 44.0% of those admitted from 24 to 72 hours after the earthquake. Heating systems were restored within 3 days of the earthquake at 43% of the hospitals.Conclusions Hypothermia in patients hospitalized within 72 hours of the earthquake was primarily due to cold-water exposure during the tsunami. Many patients were successfully treated in spite of the post-earthquake disruption of regional social infrastructure.Objective: A survey was conducted to describe the characteristics of patients treated for hypothermia after the Great East Japan Earthquake.Methods: Written questionnaires were distributed to 72 emergency medical hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture. Data were requested regarding inpatients with a temperature less than 36°C admitted within 72 hours after the earthquake. The availability of functional heating systems and the time required to restore heating after the earthquake were also documented.

AB - Results A total of 91 inpatients from 13 hospitals were identified. Tsunami victims comprised 73% of the patients with hypothermia. Within 24 hours of the earthquake, 66 patients were admitted. Most patients with a temperature of 32°C or higher were treated with passive external rewarming with blankets. Discharge without sequelae was reported for 83.3% of patients admitted within 24 hours of the earthquake and 44.0% of those admitted from 24 to 72 hours after the earthquake. Heating systems were restored within 3 days of the earthquake at 43% of the hospitals.Conclusions Hypothermia in patients hospitalized within 72 hours of the earthquake was primarily due to cold-water exposure during the tsunami. Many patients were successfully treated in spite of the post-earthquake disruption of regional social infrastructure.Objective: A survey was conducted to describe the characteristics of patients treated for hypothermia after the Great East Japan Earthquake.Methods: Written questionnaires were distributed to 72 emergency medical hospitals in Miyagi Prefecture. Data were requested regarding inpatients with a temperature less than 36°C admitted within 72 hours after the earthquake. The availability of functional heating systems and the time required to restore heating after the earthquake were also documented.

KW - hypothermia

KW - the Great East Japan Earthquake

KW - tsunami disaster

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Hypothermia in victims of the Great East Japan earthquake: A survey in miyagi prefecture

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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