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PubMed2003

Disaster victim identification of military aircrew, 1945-2002.

BACKGROUND: Aviation accident fatalities are characterized by substantial tissue disruption and fragmentation, limiting the usefulness of traditional identification methods. This study examines the success of disaster victim identification (DVI) in military aviation accident fatalities in the Australian Defense Force (ADF). METHODS: Accident reports and autopsy records of aircrew fatalities during the period 1945-2002 were examined to identify difficulties experienced during the DVI process or injuries that would prevent identification of remains using non-DNA methods. RESULTS: The ADF had 301 aircraft fatalities sustained in 144 accidents during the period 1945-2002. The autopsy reports for 117 fatalities were reviewed (covering 73.7% of aircrew fatalities from 1960-2002). Of the 117 victims, 38 (32.4%) sustained injuries which were severe enough to prevent identification by traditional (non-DNA) comparative scientific DVI techniques of fingerprint and dental analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Many of the ADF fatalities who could not be positively identified in the past could be identified today through the use of DNA techniques. Successful DNA identification, however, depends on having a reference DNA profile. This paper recommends the establishment of a DNA repository to store reference blood samples to facilitate the identification of ADF aircrew remains without causing additional distress to family members.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1993

Emotional distress in disaster victims. A follow-up study.

One hundred thirteen adult victims of a major Latin American disaster were screened for emotional distress 1 and 5 years after the catastrophe. We used the Self-Reporting Questionnaire to identify emotionally distressed victims. Results indicate that the prevalence of emotional distress decreased from 65% in 1986 to 31% in 1990. However, a comparison of the symptomatology on these two assessments indicates a similarity in the frequency and profiles of symptoms among the distressed. Also, the most frequent symptoms and the strongest predictors of emotional distress were essentially the same. These findings provide empirical support to the clinically observed course of emotional symptomatology of disaster victims and to the focused training of health workers on selected emotional problems that are consistently present over time.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Use of multislice computed tomography in disaster victim identification--advantages and limitations.

After a mass fatality incident (MFI), all victims have to be rapidly and accurately identified for juridical reasons as well as for the relatives' sake. Since MFIs are often international in scope, Interpol has proposed standard disaster victim identification (DVI) procedures, which have been widely adopted by authorities and forensic experts. This study investigates how postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) can contribute to the DVI process as proposed by Interpol. The Interpol postmortem (PM) form has been analyzed, and a number of items in sections D and E thereof have been postulated to be suitable for documentation by CT data. CT scans have then been performed on forensic cases. Interpretation of the reconstructed images showed that indeed much of the postmortem information required for identification can be gathered from CT data. Further advantages of the proposed approach concern the observer independent documentation, the possibility to reconstruct a variety of images a long time after the event, the possibility to distribute the work by transmitting CT data digitally, and the reduction of time and specialists needed at the disaster site. We conclude that MSCT may be used as a valuable screening tool in DVI in the future.

Age Determination by Skeleton↗
PubMed2005

Health concerns associated with disaster victim identification after a tsunami--Thailand, December 26, 2004-March 31, 2005.

The number of persons confirmed dead from the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004, had exceeded 174,000 as of March 31, 2005; the majority of decedents were buried or cremated without being identified. In contrast, in Thailand, disaster victim identification (DVI) continues, with approximately 1,800 persons identified among the 5,395 persons confirmed dead; of the dead, approximately 50% were not citizens of Thailand. This large-scale, multinational effort faced immediate challenges, including establishment of four temporary morgues, implementation of safeguards against environmental and occupational health hazards, and coordination of forensic procedures and safety protocols among Thai and international forensic teams. Public health and other agencies performing large-scale DVI in temporary morgues might consider implementing the recommendations and procedures described in this report.

Disasters↗
PubMed2002

60,000 disaster victims speak: Part II. Summary and implications of the disaster mental health research.

On the basis of the literature reviewed in Part I of this two-part series (Norris, Friedman, Watson, Byrne, Diaz, and Kaniasty, this volume), the authors recommend early intervention following disasters, especially when the disaster is associated with extreme and widespread damage to property, ongoing financial problems for the stricken community, violence that resulted from human intent, and a high prevalence of trauma in the form of injuries, threat to life, and loss of life. Meeting the mental health needs of children, women, and survivors in developing countries is particularly critical. The family context is central to understanding and meeting those needs. Because of the complexity of disasters and responses to them, inter-agency cooperation and coordination are extremely important elements of the mental health response. Altogether, the research demands that we think ecologically and design and test societal- and community-level interventions for the population at large and conserve scarce clinical resources for those most in need.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Experience with the cytological demonstration of smoker cells in the identification of disaster victims illustrated by the findings concerning the Lauda-Air airliner crash near Bangkok.

On 26 May 1991, a Lauda-Air airliner crashed after take-off at Bangkok from an initial height of approximately 8000 m. The plane came down in inaccessible jungle terrain, so that the difficulties of locating and salvaging the victims were considerably increased by the tropical conditions and the looting that had occurred. Identification of the victims took place in extremely adverse working conditions in the pathological department of the Police Hospital in Bangkok. The technique developed by the first author for the identification of persons in the light of their smoking habits by determining the existence of the so-called smoker cells was used to subdivide the entire autopsy material into 'smokers', 'non-smokers' and 'incidental or passive smokers'. This allows the division of mass disaster victims into smaller specific groups and the application of further identification procedures within these groups in a shorter time. The findings of the cytological examination carried out locally were compared with the police investigations regarding the individual victim's smoking habits, and the method quick and simple to use even in 'field conditions', proved highly efficaceous.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1984

A failure to communicate: the need for standardization of procedures for the exchange of identification information of crime and mass disaster victims.

A case is presented illustrating some of the difficulties presently encountered by Medical Examiners and law enforcement agencies in obtaining information necessary for the identification of foreign-born homicide victims. In 1982, the semiskeletonized remains of a 30 year old female citizen of the People's Republic of China were discovered in a vacant lot of a Chicago suburb. The victim had been reported missing four months previously. Although dental restorations were present, most of the work had been done several years prior to her coming to the United States. Attempts to obtain these records through diplomatic channels were unsuccessful due largely to the inexperience of both the U.S. and P.R.C. agencies involved in handling such requests. Although positive identification was eventually established by other means, the abortive attempt to obtain dental records resulted both in delay of the homicide investigation and in undue stress on the victim's family. This case demonstrates the need for the development of more rapid and effective exchange of identification information on victims of crime and mass disaster by a system analogous to that presently used to exchange information on criminals on an international scale.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Psychological reactions of disaster victims.

A general review of psychological reactions to a disaster situation in four groups of people is presented. Adult reactions (and management thereof) vary according to the phase of the disaster, viz (i) the pre-impact phase characterized by underactivity, development of anxiety symptoms or involvement in adaptive activities; (ii) the warning phase typically manifested by overactivity; (iii) the impact phase characterized by bewilderment, confusion or hysteria; (iv) the turmoil-recoil phase manifesting in emotional expression relating to the immediate past; and (v) the emotionally wounded or post-traumatic phase featuring reconstructive activity with some elements of anger and resentment. Reactions in children are usually transitory but may be influenced by parental psychopathology, separation anxiety or previous emotional disturbances. Typical adult reactions seen in the elderly may be compounded by what has been termed a high sense of deprivation. Relief workers are exposed to psychic stress in the form of greater responsibilities and role identification and many also show delayed reactions to the death and destruction observed.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1990

Nurses respond to Hurricane Hugo victims' disaster stress.

Hugo, a class IV hurricane, hit South Carolina September 22, 1989, and left behind a wake of terror and destruction. Sixty-one nursing students and five faculty were involved in disaster relief with families devastated by the hurricane. A review of the literature led these authors to propose a formulation of the concept of disaster stress, a synthesis of theories that explains response to disaster as a crisis response, a stress response, or as posttraumatic stress. With the concept of disaster stress serving as a theoretical foundation, the nurses observed, assessed, and intervened with one population of hurricane Hugo victims, noting their immediate psychosocial reactions and coping mechanisms. Victims' reactions to disaster stress included confusion, irritability, lethargy, withdrawal, and crying. The most frequently observed coping strategy of these hurricane Hugo victims was talking about their experiences; other coping tactics involved humor, religion, and altruism.

Aged↗