Collagen Morphology in Human Skin and Scar Tissue:

THE DISCOTHEQUE FIRE IN GOTHENBURG 1998 A TRAGEDY AMONG TEENAGERS A re disaster in 1998 in Gothenburg, Sweden, killed 63 teenagers and wounded 213. The re, caused by an act of arson perpetrated by a local youth, started in the basement of an overcrowded discotheque and had devastating consequences. The rescue work by other youths, re ghters, police, and medical staff was prompt although conducted in a very difficult situation. Thanks to the orchestrated efforts of all concerned, and to the fact that the disaster occurred in a major city with substantial resources, all the injured were hospitalized within 2 h. The load on the four local hospitals was initially severe owing to the large number of casualties and the limited number of staff on night duty. The situation was contained by relocating patients from the intensive care units to ordinary wards and by transporting several of the most severely burned patients by helicopter to burn units in other parts of Sweden and to Norway. Large numbers of relatives and friends assembled at the local hospitals. Following this new experience for hospital staff, which had both positive and negative aspects (violence, threats, and rumours) as a result of the large number of casualties, a vast psychosocial rehabilitation programme was set up by the health care staff, religious organizations, schools, and the community which has continued over the years. This sort of disaster emphasizes the necessity of an extensive condition of preparedness not only in the rescue and medical services but also in approaches to the rehabilitation of patients in society.