A review of the long term results of electric bar fire burns of the hand in children.

This paper reports on the long term problems of a group of patients who had sustained burns to the palmar aspect of one or both hands between eleven and eighteen years previously. Two of the eight patients who were re-examined had abnormalities of bony development in the hand. It is thought that the contracted scars resulting from the injury affect the growth of the bones of the hand. As development of contracted scars can develop at any time until growth of the hand is complete it is necessary to follow up these children until they reach maturity.