Visceral injuries, wound infection and sepsis following electrical injuries

Visceral injuries, wound infection and sepsis were investigated in 226 inpatients who sustained electrical burns over a period of 15 years. Four patients who sustained thoracic and abdominal organ injuries were noted in this series. The patients had injuries of the small intestine, stomach, colon and the lung. All the patients received operative treatment. Two of them died of sepsis. Injuries to the internal organs should always be considered following high-voltage injuries, and they should be managed as early as possible. The data concerning wound infection and sepsis following electrical injuries were evaluated in three consecutive 5-year periods. Over this period of 15 years, different antibiotic regimens were used for prophylaxis and treatment. Most patients in the current series had been contaminated or infected by various pathogens prior to admission. Long-lasting administration of prophylactic antibiotics in these patients showed no improvement in controlling the sepsis. After 1987, most of the microorganisms were eliminated following more effective antimicrobial therapy. The progressive decrease in infection frequency of species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Enterobacter cloacae, appeared to be causally related to the changes in the general therapeutic protocol which included new antibiotics. The infections caused by E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus showed a rather steady state. A marked increase in frequency of negative wound cultures was also noted between the years 1989 and 1993. A gradual decrease in mortality rates was observed from the first to the last 5-year period, whereas mortality rates due to sepsis showed a gradual but slower decline. Sepsis (142 patients comprising 62.8 per cent of the total mortality rate) was the most frequent complication resulting in death.