J Burn Care Res. 2021 Apr 22:irab070. doi: 10.1093/jbcr/irab070. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Electrical burn injuries can cause devastating and debilitating morbidities and impairments for patients. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on electrical burn patients hospitalized from 2014 to 2019 to evaluate electrical burn injuries’ epidemiology and characteristics. A total number of 726 patients with the mean age of 31.17 years were evaluated for electrical burn injuries. Mean total burn surface area (TBSA) was 16.61 ± 12.56. Most victims were male (696 cases, 95.7%); and most patients did not have a constant job (n = 458, 63%). Most affected burn sites were hands (28.6%) and upper limbs (27.8%). A total number of 89 (12.2%) patients suffered amputations with the hand fingers (64 cases) as the most common site. Low voltage injuries were more common (n = 649 , 89%). Most incidents happened at the workplace (n =459 , 63%). Comparison of patients with high voltage and low voltage injuries showed significant correlations and statistical difference between these 2 groups regarding TBSA, mean hospital stays, escharectomy, fasciotomy, amputations, debridement, fracture and mortality rate (P = 0.001). Our observation revealed that electrical burn injuries are still significant causes of morbidity and mortality among trauma patients. In contrast to previous studies, low voltage injuries were more common than high voltage ones. We propose improvements in the manufacturing of electrical appliances; paying attention to safety measures will reduce thenumber of incidents. Moreover, training and education play important roles in reducing the number of incidents and mortality rates.
PMID:33886962 | DOI:10.1093/jbcr/irab070
