Crush syndrome: how long can you find survivors under the rubble after an earthquake?

Emergency Medicine Nurse (SEM) of Catalonia (Spain), Trapped and Survival Expert, Ramón Pedrosa Sebador, explains in an interview with the EFE news agency that “it can take up to seven days.” before losing hope of finding people alive” after earthquake like the one that happened a week ago in Turkey and Syria.

Pedrosa Sebador, specialist in the so-called “crush syndrome” and coordinator of the Master’s internship in Emergency and Public Health at the International University of Catalonia (UIC) warns that many of the victims rescued from the rubble in Turkey and Syria suffer from this syndrome, which leads to metabolic damage and post-traumatic stress.

“Crash Syndrome” or Crush Syndrome occurs when a person is locked up or buried, and four or six hours after that, the body begins to release toxins such as hemoglobin or potassium, which can be harmful and lead to metabolic damage such as kidney or respiratory failure , and post-traumatic stress, ”specifies a primary care specialist for victims of the syndrome.

The affectivity of this pathology is higher in the “extreme age”, that is, in old age or childhood, as well as in people with previous pathologies such as heart disease or breathing problems, since “the compensation mechanisms in both cases are not the same as in a healthy adult , so they may have more important implications.”

Help for people who are stuck

In the face of catastrophes of the magnitude of the earthquake in Turkey And Syria”Ambulance service is necessary” and “it is not necessary to be a doctor or a nurse to provide it, because it consists in first contact with the victim, calming her down and asking about her fears and concerns,” according to the nurse.

In addition to trauma, crush syndrome leaves psychological consequences, which is why, according to the expert, it is necessary that teams of emergency psychologists treat post-traumatic stress victims who are “going through a recovery process similar to soldiers or victims of war.”

“The first step in helping caught people must be to identify it as a rescue. Then there is a triage to assess the priority of treatment, which consists in assigning a label with a color to the victim, corresponding to the priority with which, as it is believed, it should be treated, ”specifies Pedrosa.

People with non-life-threatening injuries are given a black label; injured with imminent danger of death injuries, “primary treatment,” red; and yellow and green, respectively, for “those whose treatment may be delayed and those with minor injuries”.

“Rescue measures” follow this classification and consist of “administering oxygen, controlling hypothermia, and at most administering intravenous fluids to rehydrate the patient” who, after being rescued, is transferred to a field hospital where “triage is no longer carried out”. basic but advanced, and determines which treatment you should follow.

“People are said to be able to go a day without drinking and a week without food, but the chance of finding victims buried alive drops significantly after 72 hours, although the United Nations says factors such as a buried person’s access to hydration or the building material of houses can extend the period to five to seven days, ”the specialist emphasizes.

UIC’s MA Health Emergencies Practice Coordinator warns that “the conflict in Syria makes it difficult for material and humanitarian resources to arrive in earthquake-affected areas due to political reluctance,” but he has no doubt that they will arrive, and has no doubt about the “field operation” (EFE) rescue work. )