Electrical Burns: a Five-year Experience--1985 Evans Lecture

Ninety-four electrical burn patients were treated in a 5-year period at our center. The majority of these patients were males, in both children and adults, with the cause of injury mainly due to misuse, inattentiveness, lack of knowledge, and lack of parental supervision. Two major complications were encountered: musculoskeletal (37.3%), which required major amputations in 71.42%; and acute renal failure in 18.08%. Despite treatment with peritoneal and/or hemodialysis, the mortality rate in these series was quite high (58.82%). In order to decrease these complications, a closer monitoring of the patient and early surgical decompression must be applied. Therefore, to prevent this life-threatening event, measures should be taken by health-care officials and physicians to help educate the public in electrical burn prevention through every available means of communication.