Objective: To determine long-term medical, social, and psychological outcome of survivors of a multiple-shooting mass casualty disaster.
Design: A case-study review was performed 42 months after injury involving chart reviews and patient interviews.
Participants: Survivors of a multiple shooting.
Main outcome measures: The need for primary operative treatment, subsequent operations, and medical treatment related to the injuries, current work status, and psychological impact of injury was determined.
Results: Thirteen patients required operation initially; 12 are long-term survivors. Eight have returned to work. Most of the victims reported experiencing psychological and emotional problems.
Conclusions: Despite a well-functioning trauma system that maximized survival from devastating injury, considerable long-term morbidity and disability persists. Efforts at prevention of mass casualties seem to be the only potential solution.