Clinical Analysis of Low Voltage Electrical Injury in One Emergency Center

Han, Jo Eun; Kim, Jin Joo; Lee, Keun; Yang, Hyuk Jun; Hyun, Sung Youl; Cho, Jin Sung; Park, Won Bin

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.