Clinical Analysis of Low Voltage Electrical Injury in One Emergency Center.
- Author:
Jo Eun HAN
1
;
Jin Joo KIM
;
Keun LEE
;
Hyuk Jun YANG
;
Sung Youl HYUN
;
Jin Sung CHO
;
Won Bin PARK
Author Information
1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea. er@gillhospital.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Electric injury;
Arrhythmia;
Complication
- MeSH:
Arrhythmias, Cardiac;
Burns;
Demography;
Electric Injuries;
Electrocardiography;
Emergencies;
Follow-Up Studies;
Heart Arrest;
Humans;
Hypothermia;
Male;
Medical Records;
Outpatients;
Retrospective Studies;
Upper Extremity
- From:Journal of Korean Burn Society
2012;15(2):92-95
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The majority of electrical injuries coming to emergency department are low voltage injuries cases. Therefore this study was designed to investigate the clinical characteristics and the treatment outcomes of patients with low voltage electrical injury in one emergency center. METHODS: We, retrospectively, reviewed the medical records of the patients who visited emergency department between July, 2007 and May, 2012. We noted demographics, entrance and exit point of burn injuries, associated injuries and symptoms, electrocardiograms, laboratory results, results of treatment, and so on. RESULTS: There are 103 patients enrolled. Sixty-eight (66%) patients were men with a mean age of 24 years. Pediatric patients (< or =15) were 41 (40.0%). The right upper extremity was the most common entry point, and exit point was unclear in almost cases. There were no lethal complications, except 1 case. The case with lethal complication was 57 year old man who survived from out-of hospital cardiac arrest. He was injured by 220 V electric current during 2 minutes and total arrest time was 20 minutes. He was applied with mild therapeutic hypothermia and later, discharged with favorable neurologic outcome (Cerebral Performance Categories scale 2). Overall rate of discharge, admission and transfer were 67.0%, 28.2% and 4.9%, respectively. Among the discharged patients, no patient re-visited to emergency department with severe complication. After admission, all patients discharged without severe complication. CONCLUSION: There were neither unexpected complications nor delayed complication in our study. Therefore, ED physicians might consider discharge if patients had only minor complications that can manage out-patients follow up at the initial evaluation.
