International Abstracts

Abstract

IAGNOSIS OF LONG-TERM SEQUELAE AFTER LOW-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL INJURY This study set out to assess the efficacy of diagnosis tests and speciality consultations in establishing the diagnosis of long-term symptoms after low-voltage electrical injury (EI). A retrospective hospital chart review of low-voltage electrical-injured patients admitted to the outpatient burn clinic of a rehabilitation hospital was conducted between January 2002 and March 2006. A comparison was made between the results of tests and speciality consultations in patients with low-voltage contact injuries and patients with lowvoltage flash injuries. Forty patients were treated for low-voltage EI, all injuries occurring at work. Three patients were excluded due to lack of exact voltage documentation. Of the remaining 37 patients, there were 31 males and 6 females with a mean age of 36.7 ± 11.0 yr and a mean TBSA of 7.7 ± 7.3%. Of 83 specialty consultations, the most regarded psychology (38.6%), physiatry (21.7%), neurology (15.7%), and orthopaedic (8.4%). Eighty per cent of consultations found no pathology. Patients with electrical contact injury had more specialty consultations, especially neurology and more tests than patients with electrical flash injury. The majority of the CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging scans performed in electrical contact injury patients were negative. Ultrasound, bone scan, and x-rays were also largely negative. Lowvoltage electrical-injured patients were therefore frequently found to be referred for specialty consultations and tests which were usually not effective for correlating long-term symptoms with the initial EI.