Infecting organisms in victims from the tsunami disaster: experiences from Bangkok Phuket Hospital, Thailand

Objectives: To study the pattern of wound infections in the victims of the tsunami disaster treated in a hospital in the disaster zone in Thailand with regard to incidence, development and characteristics of infections, microbiological flora and bacterial sensitivity to antibiotics. Methods: The incidence of infections and the intervals between injury and infection were registered for all patients from the disaster submitted to the hospital during the first 8 days after the disaster, and the clinical course and characteristics of infections were documented. Bacterial samples were taken from patients with clinical signs of purulent infections and cultured on blood, McConkey and TCBS agar. The results of cultures and determinations of sensitivity were reported within 48–72 hours. The bacterial specimens were frozen to permit re‐investigation. Results: Both the clinical pattern of infection and the microbiological flora in the studied tsunami victims were different from those in conventional trauma patients,...