Pattern of Injury and Outcome of Victims in Ahvaz Terrorist Attack

Abstract

Background: Responses for medical emergencies can be different during most terrorist attacks in which civilians and military personnel might be killed or wounded. Objectives: The present study aimed to reflect on injury patterns and the outcome of victims in terrorist attacks. Methods: A retrospective research design study was conducted on the data obtained from terrorist attacks in the city of Ahvaz, Iran, on September 22, 2018. In this deadly incident, 92 military and civilian victims had been transferred to hospitals within the first 24 hours. To this end, the data including age, gender, causes, site of injuries, outcomes, and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) values were analyzed.  Data were acquired from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, the Iranian Emergency Department, as well as health care facilities. Results: The findings revealed that, out of 92 victims of Ahvaz terrorist attack, 85 cases (92.4%) were men. The mean age of these individuals was about 28.68±11.22 years and 41.3% of them were in need of urgent surgical interventions. There was no information regarding casualties in 22.3% of the cases. Moreover, 25% of the causalities had led to death. The mean of ISS was 8.19±13. Besides, there was a significant relationship between ISS values and patient outcomes (p <0.0001). A relationship was also observed between multiple injuries and mortality rates although it did not include main body parts. Conclusion: The results showed that the mortality rate of casualties in the Ahvaz terrorist attack was high. With respect to the findings, extensive actions are needed to maintain the readiness of the emergency medical care services and to manage such events.