Liver laceration from electrical burn, a case report and literature review

Burns are a global health problem that cause heavy burdens on the medical system, expenditure and economic loss. Electrical burns are not major cause of burn; however, it is unique because severity evaluation by involved body surface area is unreliable from potential devastating and deliberating deep injuries and systemic effects. Here, we report a case of high-voltage electrical injury at his right hand. Liver lacerations and multiple visceral injuries were resulted. A 47-year-old construction worker accidently touched a high-voltage power line with his right hand. Burns at his right hand, abdomen, and right thigh were resulted. He treated the cutaneous burns by himself, and walked into our emergency department 6 h post-burn due to intractable wound pain. Besides a full-thickness burn on his right hand, several partial-thickness burns were on his right abdomen and his right thigh. His abdomen was soft and without tenderness. Point-of-care ultrasound showed fluid accumulation in the Morrison pouch. Blood tests revealed WBC of 17,660/mmc (segment 88 %), AST/ALT of 545/415 IU/L, and CPK of 4842 U/L. Computed tomography revealed liver laceration in segments 4 and 8, mild intraperitoneal hemorrhage and segmental infarction of the right kidney. Conservative treatments were provided, and he was admitted to the burn center. Mild, self-limited, right-sided hemothorax was noted. He was discharged on Day 9 of hospitalization.