Early and intensive fluid replacement prevents acute renal failure in the crush cases associated with spontaneous collapse of an apartment in Konya.

BACKGROUND

Crush syndrome developing as a result of earthquake and other natural disasters has been investigated from many angles to date. Data are scarce, however, on cases associated with the spontaneous crash of buildings. This study presents the results on seven rhabdomyolysis patients treated in our clinics out of nine casualties who were rescued from the rubble of Zümrüt apartment after the building collapsed suddenly and spontaneously.

METHODS

As a result of the sudden, spontaneous collapse of the 10-floor Zümrüt apartment in Konya at 20:15 hours on February 2, 2004, 92 out of a total of 121 persons who were inside the building lost their lives, and 29 casualties were rescued from the rubble. Nine hospitalized patients had crush syndrome, and a prophylactic mannitol-bicarbonate cocktail was started in all at admission.

RESULTS

The time they remained entrapped under the rubble was 11.1 +/- 7.3 (5-24 hours) on average. The highest CPK level of the patients was 79049 +/- 75374 u/L (17478-223600 u/L), observed on the median day 1.7 +/- 1.1 (days 1-4) following the incident. ARF developed in only two cases (28.6%) owing to the prophylactic mannitol-bicarbonate cocktail administered to prevent ARF, and because of hyperpotassemia, hemodialysis (HD) treatment was administered to these patients. One patient required two sessions of HD, and another required four. In both patients who received HD treatment, the level of potassium was in excess of 7 mEq/L. A total of eight fasciotomies were performed on five (71.4%) of the seven patients with crush syndrome. Five of the fasciotomies (62.5%) were performed on two of our patients who required HD treatment. None of our patients with crush syndrome developed permanent kidney damage, and no mortality occurred.

CONCLUSION

It was deduced that rapid fluid therapy accompanied by the prophylactic administration of mannitol-bicarbonate are largely effective in preventing the development of ARF in cases with crush syndrome resulting from disasters.