Surgical management and epidemiological trends of pediatric electrical burns

Surgical management and epidemiological trends of pediatric electrical burns

•Reduction in the amount of US pediatric high voltage burns over the past 20 years at our center.•Common international etiologies were a result of poor education and infrastructure.•At our center, there was only 1 death from electrical burns over the past 13 years.•Our approach to immediate acute ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Burns Vol. 46; no. 7; pp. 1693 - 1699
Main Authors: Depamphilis, M.A., Cauley, R.P., Sadeq, F., Lydon, M., Sheridan, R.L., Driscoll, D.N., Winograd, J.M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2020
Subjects:
Adolescent
Boston
Burns
Burns, Electric - epidemiology
Burns, Electric - surgery
Child
Child, Preschool
Electrical
Epidemiology
Hospitalization
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Length of Stay
Pediatric
Reconstruction
Retrospective Studies
Boston
Reconstruction
Electrical
Burns
Pediatric
Epidemiology
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Summary:•Reduction in the amount of US pediatric high voltage burns over the past 20 years at our center.•Common international etiologies were a result of poor education and infrastructure.•At our center, there was only 1 death from electrical burns over the past 13 years.•Our approach to immediate acute care and delayed reconstruction for pediatric electrical burns. Electrical burns are an uncommon yet devastating class of burn injuries. Shriners Hospitals for Children — Boston a pediatric burn center in New England and cares for both domestic and international patients. We utilized our experience over the past 13 years to review surgical management and evaluate historical trends for this unique patient group. A retrospective chart review was conducted on 68 patients aged 0–18 years admitted to our pediatric center with an electrical burn from January 2005 to December 2018. We collected and analyzed data pertaining to patient demographics, burn characteristics, clinical course, and surgical interventions. Our cohort included 31 patients from the US (46%) and 37 transferred from a variety of international countries (54%). The majority of US patients were admitted with low voltage burns (81%), whereas the majority of international patients were admitted with high voltage burns (95%). Acute and reconstructive surgical interventions were performed mainly for high voltage burns (94% and 89%). Based on our experience, epidemiology and surgical intervention varied based on voltage of the burn injury and residence of the patient. We have seen a reduction in US pediatric high voltage injuries over the past two decades, likely due to enhancement of electrical safety. It may be possible to use a similar strategy to reduce the frequency of severe high voltage electrical burn injuries in developing countries.
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ISSN:0305-4179
1879-1409
DOI:10.1016/j.burns.2020.03.005