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Demographic and Injury Characteristics of Patients Injured in a Hailstorm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2025

Kamil Kokulu Open the ORCID record for Kamil Kokulu [Opens in a new window] ,
Ekrem Taha Sert ,
Serdar Özdemir Open the ORCID record for Serdar Özdemir [Opens in a new window] ,
Hüseyin Mutlu  and
İbrahim Altunok
Kamil Kokulu*
Affiliation:
Aksaray University Faculty of Medicine - Department of Emergency Medicine, Aksaray, Turkey Aksaray Training and Research Hospital - Department of Emergency Medicine, Aksaray, Turkey
Ekrem Taha Sert
Affiliation:
Aksaray University Faculty of Medicine - Department of Emergency Medicine, Aksaray, Turkey Aksaray Training and Research Hospital - Department of Emergency Medicine, Aksaray, Turkey
Serdar Özdemir
Affiliation:
Ümraniye Eğitim Ve Araştırma Hastanesi - Department of Emergency Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Hüseyin Mutlu
Affiliation:
Aksaray University Faculty of Medicine - Department of Emergency Medicine, Aksaray, Turkey Aksaray Training and Research Hospital - Department of Emergency Medicine, Aksaray, Turkey
İbrahim Altunok
Affiliation:
Ümraniye Eğitim Ve Araştırma Hastanesi - Department of Emergency Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
*
Correspondence: Kamil Kokulu Department of Emergency Medicine Aksaray University School of Medicine 68100, Aksaray, Turkey E-mail: drkokulu@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to describe the demographic characteristics, injury characteristics, and outcomes of individuals sustaining injuries during a hailstorm in Istanbul, Turkey.

Methods:

In this study, the medical records of 76 patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary hospital after incurring injuries due to hailstorms were retrospectively reviewed. Analyses were performed to identify hailstorm-associated injury profiles, injury mechanisms, patient demographics, and ED resource use.

Results:

Of the 76 patients, 42 (55.3%) were male and 34 (44.7%) were female, with the ages of the patients ranging from five to 79 years. Of the patients, 93.4% presented to the ED within the first eight hours after a hailstorm. The most common injury mechanisms were the direct impact of hailstones on the body surface (36.8%) and slips and falls during escape (35.6%). The most frequently injured anatomical areas were skin (60.5%), head (44.7%), and extremities (16.7%). Significant injuries occurred in only 11.8% of the patients, of whom three were treated surgically and one died. The most common injuries were soft tissue and minor head injuries.

Conclusions:

Severe hailstorms often strike suddenly and can be difficult to predict. In response, EDs must handle a large number of injured patients in the aftermath of a hailstorm. It is important to remember that hailstorms, like other natural disasters, can cause serious injuries.

Keywords

Disaster Medicinehailhailstormhailstorm-related injuriestrauma
Type
Disaster Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , First View , pp. 1 - 5
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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