Turkey-Syria earthquake aftermath: Survivors experience ‘crush syndrome’. What is it?

It has been a month since Turkey and its bordering Syria were hit with a series of earthquakes and a number of aftershocks which have killed at least 50,000 people while millions have lost their homes and over 214,000 buildings collapsed. The search and rescue continued for weeks as some people were found under the rubble over250hours later as the deaths and damage spanned across 11 provinces in Turkey alone. The death toll is expected to rise in the coming days as many victims are yet to be identified.

What is crush syndrome?

Crush syndrome or traumatic rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) is a localised crush injury which is defined as the compression of extremities (limbs) or other parts of the body which causes muscle swelling and/or neurological disturbances in the affected areas.

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Additionally, external compression which reduces or cuts off the blood flow to the limbs causes the cells to die and once the pressure is removed can release toxins into the bloodstream. Crush syndrome is the systemic effect caused by traumatic rhabdomyolysis which can potentially release toxic muscle cell components.

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It is characterised by the significant shock which can result in an organ or multi-organ system failure or death. These toxins can injure kidneys which can lead to kidney failure and cause seemingly stable patients’ health to rapidly deteriorate. Some patients with crush injuries, whichcommonly occur in catastrophes such as earthquakes,also require an amputation.

The aftermath of the rescue

For those survivors pulled out of the rubble, rescue was just the first step. Over the weeks, after the devastating earthquakes, thousands of patients were treated at the Adana City Training and Research Hospital in Turkey which is one of the largest trauma hospitals in the region and a majority of cases included “limb loss, tissue crushes and brain trauma,” the chief of staff Dr Suleyman Cetinkunar said, according to a CNN report.

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In cases of crush syndrome, time is of the essence as some drastic injuries can also require field amputations. However, the situation of victims in Syria was not faring well either as the country did not have the infrastructure and many patients would have to be sent to Turkey for treatment, reported France24.

Speaking to Al Jazeera about the case of a two-year-old named Nour Abdelqader who was pulled out from the rubble, Abdelsalam al-Naasan, an orthopaedic surgeon at Akrabat Hospital said that both her legs were “severely damaged” and her right leg had to be amputated as the “crush injuries were too extensive” and the “limb was dead and infected”.

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The doctor working at the hospital located near the Syria-Turkey border in the rebel-held town of Idlib also spoke about how Nour would require complex surgeries and treatment to make her left leg function. “What we can offer here (in Syria) might leave her with long-term disabilities or deformities”, said al-Naasan to Al Jazeera.

Notably, Syria’s rebel-held northwestern region was the hardest hit by the earthquakes last month where aid could not reach on time due to regional politics. A report by Al Jazeera cited healthcare officials in northwest Syria also said that out of the 12,000 people injured during the earthquakes, hundreds have been diagnosed with crush syndrome out of which at least 100 survivors were diagnosed with kidney failure.

(With inputs from agencies)

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