Limb amputation secondary to electrical injuries: case series from a five – year review of Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Electric Burn results from the passage of electric current through the body when in contact with the electric arc. Electric injury of a severe nature results in death. Surviving victims may develop short- or long-term effects on various organs, including gangrene and slow necrosis to tissues. We sought to evaluate electrical burn patients who required amputation in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Materials & Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients who suffered electrical burn injuries at the LUTH Accident & Emergency Unit. Those who required amputations were studied as a case series.
Results: The case series involved 6 patients, with 11 limb
amputations, consisting of 8 (72.7%) upper limbs and 3 (27.3%) lower limbs. One patient had had bilateral upper and lower limb amputations while 2 others had bilateral upper limb amputations. Five (83.3%) patients were working-class males, with the only female being a child who was involved in a domestic accident. There was one mortality in this case series, resulting from Traumatic Brain Injury and severe infection.
Conclusion: Developing countries are rife with inefficient electrical energy systems, poor safety measures and working ethics. High voltage electric injuries are frequently sustained at the workplace, particularly by adult males who are occupationally exposed to electricity. High voltage electric injury culminates in gangrene formation and limb amputation as treatment.