YAKUP ÇAĞ, MEHMET TOLGA KÖLE, AYDAN ERDEM, KEMAL PİŞMİŞOĞLU, UFUK YÜKSELMİŞ, FATİH ÇİÇEK, MURAT DERELİ, FEYZA ESEN, YASEMİN AKIN
Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine - 2024;15(11):763-767
Aim: Despite being preventable with simple measures, electrical injuries are a significant public health issue that can lead to high morbidity and, rarely, death. In this study, the aim was to evaluate the demographic, laboratory, and clinical characteristics of children who presented to our emergency department with electrical injuries, as well as the associated complications. Material and methods: Electrical injuries were divided into two groups based on the type of voltage, and the recorded data were compared between these two groups. Results: A total of 146 patients were included in the study, with 97 of them being male. 62.3% of the patients were under the age of 5. Electrical injuries frequently occurred at home (74.7%) and were often associated with electrical outlets (63.7%). One patient died. Surgical intervention was performed in 15 patients. We identified burns in 83 patients due to electrical accidents. Among the patients, 71 had low-voltage injuries, and 12 had high-voltage injuries. There was a statistically significant difference in burn severity based on voltage status. High-voltage injuries were associated with statistically higher levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and creatinine compared to low-voltage injuries. A positive correlation was observed between creatine kinase levels and the total length of hospital. Discussion: The frequency of high-voltage injuries increased with age, and these patients experienced more severe burns, greater tissue trauma, and required more surgical interventions. To minimize the occurrence of such cases, it is crucial to educate families and implement legal measures by governments.
