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Electrical burn injuries of 246 patients treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo during the period 2005–2010

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European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

In the developing world, the incidence of electrical injuries has increased in the past few years. Electrical injuries represent approximately 5 % of all burn admissions to burn units in the United States.

Objective

The objective of this study is to understand the causes of electrical burns in our population, sex, age, duration of treatment, distribution of electrical burns by season, accompanying other traumatic injuries with electrical burns, entry lesions of high-voltage electrocution, location of injuries, the methods of treatment, duration of treatment, and mortality.

Materials and methods

This is a retrospective study that included 246 patients with electrical burns treated in the 2005–2010 period at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Kosovo. The data were collected and analyzed from the archives and protocols of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. Data processing was done with the statistical package InStat 3. From the statistical parameters the structural index, arithmetic median, and standard deviation were calculated. Data testing was done with the χ2 test and the differences were considered significant if p < 0.05.

Conclusion

The high mortality, 9.1 %, and 7 patients (10.6 %) transferred out of our country for treatment is a reflection of the lack of a burn center in our department.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the archive and all the staff of the Department of Plastic Surgery for their technical support.

Conflict of interest

S. B. Duci, H. M. Arifi, H. R. Ahmeti, M. E. Selmani, Z. A. Buja, M. M. Gashi, V. K. Zatriqi and A. Y. Mekaj declare no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Ethical standards

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Rrethi i Spitalit p.n., Prishtina, 10000, Kosovo

    S. B. Duci, H. M. Arifi, Z. A. Buja & V. K. Zatriqi

  2. Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo

    H. R. Ahmeti

  3. Dentistry Faculty, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo

    M. E. Selmani

  4. Emergency Center, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo

    M. M. Gashi

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo

    A. Y. Mekaj

Authors
  1. S. B. Duci
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  2. H. M. Arifi
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  3. H. R. Ahmeti
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  4. M. E. Selmani
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  5. Z. A. Buja
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  6. M. M. Gashi
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  7. V. K. Zatriqi
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  8. A. Y. Mekaj
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. B. Duci.

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Duci, S.B., Arifi, H.M., Ahmeti, H.R. et al. Electrical burn injuries of 246 patients treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo during the period 2005–2010. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 40, 679–685 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-014-0379-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-014-0379-6

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