Table 1. Characteristics of patients with tornado injuries seen in emergency departments based on chart review—Alabama, April 27–30, 2011.
| Total Injured | Minor | Moderate | Severe | ||
| Characteristics | (N = 1,398) | (ISSa 1–9) N = 1,041 | (ISSa 10–15) N = 70 | (ISSa >15) N = 59 | P-valuef |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Sex | 0.01 | ||||
| Female | 662 (47.4) | 507 (48.7) | 32 (45.7) | 19 (32.2) | |
| Male | 684 (48.9) | 510 (49.0) | 38 (54.3) | 40 (67.8) | |
| Unknown | 52 (3.7) | 24 (2.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Age Group | 0.05g | ||||
| 18–29 | 257 (18.4) | 204 (19.6) | 9 (12.9) | 11 (18.6) | 0.29 |
| 30–44 | 339 (24.2) | 264 (25.4) | 12 (17.1) | 12 (20.3) | 0.07 |
| 45–64 | 455 (32.5) | 338 (32.5) | 28 (40.0) | 27 (45.8) | 0.05 |
| ≥65 | 230 (16.5) | 160 (15.4) | 21 (30.0) | 8 (13.6) | 0.43 |
| Unknown | 117 (8.4) | 75 (7.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.7) | |
| Health Insurance b | 0.88 | ||||
| Private insurance | 412 (29.5) | 324 (31.1) | 22 (31.4) | 21 (35.6) | 0.62 |
| Medicare | 220 (15.7) | 160 (15.4) | 16 (22.9) | 6 (10.2) | 0.75 |
| Medicaid | 142 (10.2) | 100 (9.6) | 9 (12.9) | 3 (5.1) | 0.49 |
| Self pay | 472 (33.8) | 372 (35.7) | 20 (28.6) | 25 (42.4) | 0.84 |
| Unknown | 152 (10.9) | 85 (8.2) | 3 (4.3) | 4 (6.8) | |
| Injury Location | <0.001 | ||||
| Apartment | 23 (1.6) | 17 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.7) | 0.65 |
| House | 326 (23.3) | 239 (23.0) | 25 (35.7) | 8 (13.6) | 0.62 |
| Mobile home | 105 (7.5) | 77 (7.4) | 9 (12.9) | 11 (18.6) | <0.001 |
| Unspecified home | 184 (13.2) | 136 (13.1) | 9 (12.9) | 10 (16.9) | 0.48 |
| Motor vehicle | 56 (4.0) | 41 (3.9) | 3 (4.3) | 3 (5.1) | 0.67 |
| Outdoors | 170 (12.2) | 150 (14.4) | 4 (5.7) | 2 (3.4) | 0.001 |
| Public or commercial building | 34 (2.4) | 26 (2.5) | 3 (4.3) | 2 (3.4) | 0.45 |
| Unspecified storm shelterc | 8 (0.6) | 6 (0.6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.41 |
| Unknown | 492 (35.2) | 349 (33.5) | 17 (24.3) | 22 (37.3) | |
| Direct vs. Indirect Injury d | <0.0001 | ||||
| Direct injury | 1,023 (73.2) | 753 (72.3) | 63 (90.0) | 53 (89.8) | |
| Indirect Injury | 282 (20.2) | 225 (21.6) | 5 (7.1) | 1 (1.7) | |
| Unknown | 93 (6.7) | 63 (6.1) | 2 (2.9) | 5 (8.5) | |
| Prehospital Transport | <0.0001 | ||||
| Private Vehicle | 534 (38.2) | 449 (43.1) | 7 (10.0) | 2 (3.4) | <0.0001 |
| Walk-in | 21 (1.5) | 19 (1.8) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.7) | 0.78 |
| Ground ambulance | 435 (31.1) | 296 (28.4) | 44 (62.9) | 43 (72.9) | <0.0001 |
| Helicopter ambulance | 7 (0.5) | 3 (0.3) | 1 (1.4) | 3 (5.1) | <0.0001 |
| Unknown | 401 (28.7) | 274 (26.3) | 17 (24.3) | 10 (16.9) | |
| Transferred From Another Hospital e | 78 (5.6) | 39 (3.7) | 14 (20.0) | 21 (35.6) | <0.0001 |
| Injured Body Region b | <0.0001 | ||||
| Extremities or pelvic girdle | 898 (64.2) | 764 (73.4) | 55 (78.6) | 37 (62.7) | <0.0001 |
| Head/face/neck | 524 (37.5) | 402 (38.6) | 38 (54.3) | 43 (72.9) | 0.56 |
| Chest | 326 (23.3) | 196 (18.8) | 47 (67.1) | 51 (86.4) | <0.0001 |
| Abdomen and pelvic contents | 238 (17.0) | 166 (15.9) | 24 (34.3) | 39 (66.1) | <0.0001 |
| Disposition | <0.0001 | ||||
| Home/self care | 1,202 (86.0) | 960 (92.2) | 33 (47.1) | 19 (32.2) | <0.0001 |
| Rehab/care facility | 90 (6.4) | 36 (3.5) | 24 (34.3) | 23 (39.0) | <0.0001 |
| Interfacility transfer | 65 (4.6) | 36 (3.5) | 11 (15.7) | 10 (16.9) | <0.0001 |
| Died | 15 (1.1) | 1 (0.1) | 1 (1.4) | 6 (10.2) | <0.0001 |
| Unknown | 26 (1.9) | 8 (0.8) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.7) |
%) of patients.a The ISS was known for 1,170 (83.7
b Patients may be counted more than once due to multiple insurance types or diagnoses.
c Unknown if FEMA approved tornado storm shelter or safe room or a basement in a private residence.
–30.d Direct injuries include those caused by flying debris and structural collapse from the tornado on April 27; indirect injuries occurred nearly exclusively from April 28
e Based on transfer information available in hospital records as well as linking patient records between hospitals. Patients with missing unique identifiers (name or date of birth) could not be linked.
f Mean score chi-square test or Fisher's exact chi-square test (when sample size <5) used for overall group and each level compared to all other levels combined, unless stated otherwise.
g Based on correlation chi-square test