ABSTRACT

Electrical injuries in children are mostly due to the household accidents. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients admitted with electrical injury in terms of emphasizing the importance of taking measures and case management.

Fifty eight children, admitted to our Pediatric Emergency Department after an electrical injury between August 2005 and August 2015 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to their ages. The relationship between the groups and gender, electrical source and voltage, venue and observation place were evaluated.

The median age of the patients was 3,9 years (9 months-15.3 years), 30 (51.7%) of the patients were girl. Under five years of age plug sockets (73%) and over five years of age electrical devices (42.9%) were found to be the most common causes of the injuries. Four patients had elevated creatinine kinase levels (>1000 U/L) but none of them had renal damages. Seven cases had soft tissue trauma, two cases had ECG abnormalities and one case had a deep burn.

The vast majority of electrical injuries in children were due to low voltage and household accidents. The plug sockets for children under the five years of age and household electrical devices for adolescents were found to be important sources of electrical injuries.

Keywords: Electrical injuries, child, pediatric emergency, trauma, household accidents