Chest injuries and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract Background Chest injuries caused during a major earthquake remain unclear. We have described profiles of patients with chest injuries who were diagnosed and treated at the area that was most affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 3938 patients who were transferred to the Japanese Red Cross Ishinomaki Hospital during the first week after the earthquake (March 11–17). In total, 77 patients were declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Of the remaining 3861 patients, 42 (1.1%) sustained chest injuries. Diagnosis of the chest injury was based on results of physical examination, chest radiography, and computed tomography. Results Chest injury was diagnosed in 42 patients, including 22 men and 20 women (age range, 21–99 years). The most common cause of injury was tsunami ( n =21), followed by falls ( n =9), and traffic accidents ( n =1), although this information was missing in 11 cases. The most common type of chest injury was superficial trauma such as laceration and contusion ( n =37). Only 5 patients had rib fractures with intrathoracic damages such as pneumothorax ( n =3), hemothorax ( n =1), and aspiration ( n =1). Conclusions The number of patients with chest injury was surprisingly small. Most patients did not require hospitalization. The small number of survivors with serious chest injuries can most likely be explained by the tsunami caused by the earthquake.