Analysis of treatment outcomes after electric injuries (1991-2000)]

During the 1991-2000 year period 1728 children and 1967 adults have been treated in the Unit of Plastic Surgery and Burns of Kaunas Medical University Hospital. A retrospective analysis of patients who sustained electric injuries during these years period was carried out. Among all patients 93 (2.517%) were injured by electricity. 38 (40.86%) of them were children and 55 (59.14%)--adult patients. Seven (18.42%) children and 13 (23.64%) adults underwent high voltage electrical injury, 29 (76.32%) children and 22(40%) adult underwent low voltage injury and 2 (5.26%) children and 20(36.36%) adult were injured by Voltaic arc. Twenty two patients were treated conservatively, 55 necrectomies, 74 skin grafts, 5 microvascular flap transplantations were performed. During this study we find that severity of injury depends on current voltage. Tissue damage and rate of complications were much larger for patients who underwent high voltage electric injury than for patients who sustained low voltage or Voltaic arc injury. For 6 (of 7) children who underwent high voltage injury amputations were performed. For one child amputation of upper arm was performed, for 3 patients--amputation of forearm, for all the rest amputations of fingers were performed. These patients had more severe injuries with deep necrosis of muscular tissue, tendons and bone. Three patients who underwent low voltage injury needed amputation of digits. For other 2 patients from this group was necrosis of tendons and they required transplantation of microvascular flap. Five patients of adult high voltage injury group needed amputation. Three of them needed amputation of forearm, one--of upper arm and one--of the calf. From low voltage injury group 3 patients needed amputations of one or two fingers and only one patient needed amputation of upper arm.