Abstract

VALDES MESA, Sady; PALACIOS ALFONSO, Irene  and  ACOSTA VAILLANT, Rilder. Post burn sequels in a patient who is double conductor of industrial electricity. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2013, vol.42, n.2, pp. 244-250. ISSN 0138-6557.

A 43 years old male patient with antecedents of high blood pressure that makes contact with high voltage cables (33 000 V) was taken to hospital. The input site of electricity was produced in two regions of the body, causing lesions of a 30,80 % of burned body surface and a critical prognosis for his life; being the calcanei the output sites. It was decided to admit the patient to the Intensive Care Burn Unit. Due to the complexity of the lesions in the input sites, his left hand was amputated as an emergency treatment and 48 hours later, the thumb of his right hand was amputated, too. Because of the depth of burns, several interventions were required: amputations, necrectomies, and skin autografts. He was in hospital for 125 days. He had irreversible damage of all the nerves of the right hand, with total functional impotence. The immediacy of the specialized attention given by a multidisciplinary staff can save a patient's life, leaving functional and aesthetic sequels. Electricity produces severe lesions that require a comprehensive management and, when the input site is multiple, the complexity of the case is higher.

Keywords : special burns; electrical burns; lesions produced by electricity; high voltage.

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