Department of General Surgery, Burn Center, University of Health Sciences, Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
J Burn Care Res. 2022 May 17;43(3):704-709. doi: 10.1093/jbcr/irab178.
Although electrical injuries (EIs) are rare traumas in the pediatric age group, they are considered one of the most devastating injuries. We aimed to evaluate the patterns and outcomes of pediatric high-voltage injuries (HVIs) vs low-voltage injuries (LVIs), admitted to the burn center within the efforts of determining evidence-based data for contributing to burn prevention strategies. A retrospective study was conducted on children with EIs hospitalized in the Burn Center of Adana City Training and Research Hospital for 8 years (2013-2020). Data including the patients' clinical and demographic characteristics, the percentage of total body surface area with burns (%TBSA), length of hospital stay, exposure place, electrical current type, and treatment results were collected and analyzed. EIs were detected in 57 (2.5%) of 2243 acute pediatric burn injury admissions. EIs were most frequently observed in the form of HVIs, among children within the age range of 13 to 18 years, mostly in residential outdoor environments, where the high-power lines still passing close to the home roofs and balconies, resulting from contact with them. Besides, to a lesser extent in LVIs, in the home environment among children younger than 5 years, which was caused by connection with substandard electrical cords/poor-quality electrical devices and inserting an object into the electric sockets. Concerning the mean of %TBSA, HVIs suffered more extensive burns than LVIs. The most frequently affected anatomical regions among HVIs and LVIs were the upper limb, followed by the lower limb. While superficial partial- and deep partial-thickness burns were significantly more common among the LVIs, full-thickness burns were more prevalent among the HVIs. The amputation rate was 12% of which only one of them was major amputation (forearm above the elbow joint). HVIs had more elevated creatine kinase (CK) and CK-myocardial band (CK-MB) levels than LVIs but were not correlated with electrocardiography findings. Only one death (caused by HVI) was observed, with a mortality rate of 1.8%. Pediatric EIs are less common than scald or fire flame-related burns in this age group but can cause significant morbidity and even mortality, especially in severe burns. It is possible to prevent possible morbidity and mortality by strengthening compliance with safety precautions, especially with parental education and raising social awareness. In this context, taking necessary precautions for passing high-voltage power lines under the ground, the standardization of electrical cables by the relevant legal regulations, the use of socket covers in homes, promoting the widespread use of residual current relays, and arrangements to be taken against the use of illegal electricity are among measures for the prevention strategy.
虽然电气损伤（EI）在儿科年龄组中是罕见的创伤，但它们被认为是最具破坏性的损伤之一。我们旨在评估儿科高压损伤（HVI）与低压损伤（LVI）的模式和结果，这些损伤在烧伤中心接受治疗，目的是为烧伤预防策略提供循证数据。对在阿达纳市培训和研究医院烧伤中心住院的 8 年内（2013-2020 年）患有 EI 的儿童进行了回顾性研究。收集和分析了包括患者临床和人口统计学特征、烧伤总面积百分比（%TBSA）、住院时间、暴露地点、电流类型和治疗结果在内的数据。在 2243 例急性儿科烧伤损伤入院患者中，发现 57 例（2.5%）患有 EI。在 13 至 18 岁的儿童中，HVI 最常见，主要发生在住宅室外环境中，那里的高压线仍然靠近房屋屋顶和阳台，因此与它们接触。此外，在 LVIs 中，在 5 岁以下的儿童家中，由于与不合格的电缆/劣质电气设备连接以及将物体插入电插座，也会发生这种情况。关于%TBSA 的平均值，HVI 比 LVI 遭受更广泛的烧伤。HVI 和 LVI 中最常受影响的解剖区域是上肢，其次是下肢。虽然浅表部分和深部分层烧伤在 LVI 中更为常见，但全层烧伤在 HVI 中更为常见。截肢率为 12%，其中只有一例是主要截肢（肘关以上的前臂）。HVI 的肌酸激酶（CK）和 CK-心肌带（CK-MB）水平高于 LVI，但与心电图结果无关。仅观察到一例死亡（由 HVI 引起），死亡率为 1.8%。在这个年龄段，儿科 EI 比烫伤或火焰相关烧伤少见，但会导致显著的发病率，甚至死亡率，特别是在严重烧伤的情况下。通过加强对安全预防措施的遵守，特别是对父母的教育和提高社会意识，可以预防可能的发病率和死亡率。在这方面，采取必要的预防措施，将高压输电线埋在地下，通过相关法律法规使电缆标准化，在家中使用插座盖，推广使用剩余电流继电器，并对非法用电采取措施，这些都是预防策略的措施。
