The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71861

Jane A Greenko, EMT-P, MPH¹, Michael Phillips, MD¹, Marcelle Layton, MD², and Jim Miller¹. (1) Bureau of Communicable Disease, New York City Department of Health, 125 Worth Street, Box 22A, New York, NY 10013, 212-788-4320, jgreenko@health.nyc.gov, (2) Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Communicable Disease, New York City Department of Health, 125 Worth St, Box 22A, New York, NY 10013

Purpose: The 9/11/01 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) was unprecedented in the magnitude, scope of devastation, and subsequent rescue and recovery effort. To characterize the severe injuries among rescue workers, we conducted an epidemiologic assessment of rescue workers injured at the WTC site and admitted to the four hospitals closest to the WTC site. Methods: A rescue worker included any firefighter, police officer, emergency medical services technician, urban search and rescue task force, or construction worker assigned to the WTC site from 9/11-10/11/01. Emergency department charts of all individuals injured at the WTC site were reviewed to determine rescue worker status. Medical records of hospitalized rescue workers were reviewed for demographics, injury type and clinical presentation, activity at time of injury and outcome. Results: From 9/11-10/11/01, 62 rescue workers were hospitalized; 25 of 62 (40%) of injuries resulting in hospitalization occurred during the initial disaster response. Eighty-three percent (n=51) of rescue worker hospitalizations occurred between 9/11 and 9/13. Firefighters (48%, n=30) accounted for the majority of hospitalizations, followed by police officers (27%, n=17), construction workers (13%, n=8), and EMS (11%, n=8). Trauma (44%), respiratory (29%), and cardiac (19%) complaints accounted for the majority of hospitalizations. No fatalities occurred after admission. Conclusions: The majority of injury-related rescue worker hospitalizations occurred during the initial response to the WTC disaster. Although this surveillance system likely underestimates the number of rescue worker hospitalizations, it is representative of severe injuries sustained while assigned to the WTC site and would be useful for future disaster planning.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)Describe epidemiology of severe injuries sustained by rescue workers during the disaster response and recovery effort following the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack.
• 2)Recognize potential for severe injury and illness to rescue workers responding to terrorist attacks and subsequent rescue and recovery effort in an urban setting.

Keywords: Injury, Disasters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.