The Clinical Study of Electrical Burns

Cho, Sung Rae

Abstract

Electrical burns constitude a unique type of thermal injury. Not only may there be a cutaneous burn but frequently hidden local and regional tissue damage exists. Tissue injury and tenden vascular necrosis are complete within eight to ten days follwoing the insult and additional tissue damage can occur because of infection and toxicity of necrotic tissue. Early excision and early graft can prevent this progressiv muscle necrosis because marginally viable tissue at the periphery are saved by the increased vascularity provided by immediate use of flaps or grafting. We have treated 67 cases of electrical burn from 1975 to 1979. The brief summary of the observations were as follows: 1. Good results were obtained in 15 cases after treatment of early excision and early graft. 2. Simultaneous involvements of hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder were found because of tetanic contraction in alternating current in 21 cases. 3. In one case of spinal atrophic paralysis due to direct injury to spinal cord, paraplegia was permanent.