Evaluation of Electrical Burn Injuries in Iran: A 7-Year Retrospective Study

Electrical burn injuries can cause devastating and debilitating morbidities and impairments for patients. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on electrical burn patients hospitalized from 2014 to 2019 to evaluate electrical burn injuries' epidemiology and characteristics. A total number of 726 patients with the mean age of 31.17 years were evaluated for electrical burn injuries. Mean total burn surface area (TBSA) was 16.61 ± 12.56. Most victims were male (696 cases, 95.7%) and most patients did not have a constant job (n = 458, 63%). Most affected burn sites were hands (28.6%) and upper limbs (27.8%). A total number of 89 (12.2%) patients suffered amputations with the hand fingers (64 cases) as the most common site. Low-voltage injuries were more common (n = 649, 89%). Most incidents happened at the workplace (n = 459, 63%). Comparison of patients with high-voltage and low-voltage injuries showed significant correlations and statistical difference between these two groups regarding TBSA, mean hospital stays, escharectomy, fasciotomy, amputations, debridement, fracture, and mortality rate (P = .001). Our observation revealed that electrical burn injuries are still significant causes of morbidity and mortality among trauma patients. In contrast to previous studies, low-voltage injuries were more common than high-voltage ones. We propose improvements in the manufacturing of electrical appliances; paying attention to safety measures will reduce the number of incidents. Moreover, training and education play important roles in reducing the number of incidents and mortality rates.