Electrical burn caused by contact of radio receiver antenna with overhead cables

High tension electrical injury from a telephone receiver

A high tension (13000 V) electrical injury to a young man from telephone receiver is described. The current entered the telephone circuit due to contact with a high tension live wire running close to the telephone wire 2 km away from the site of incidence.

Electrocution due to contact of industrial equipment with power lines

Electrocution due to contact of construction equipment with power lines is not uncommon as a source of industrial injury. We report seven such cases. Two patients sustained cardiac arrest and were successfully resuscitated at the scene. Four patients lost consciousness and in two cases, amnesia for the event was encountered. No long-term cardiac or neurologic effects were noted. Surgery including amputation was sometimes required. In all cases, the patient was on the ground touching the machinery or touching cables connected to the machinery at the time of injury. The importance of exercising due care in industrial safety measures is stressed. Prompt CPR was life saving in two cases.

The last 10 years in a burn centre in Ankara, Turkey: an analysis of 5264 cases

This is a retrospective study analysing 5264 patients treated in the burn centre at Gülhane Military Medical Academy from 1 January 1986 to 31 December 1995. Our burn centre is not only the first, but one of the best established and supported in Turkey. Our present study has the largest patient group of other previously published studies from Turkey. Of the total patients studied, 4464 patients had minor burns and were treated on an outpatient basis and 800 patients had moderate to major burns. Although our centre is in a military area in Ankara, only 1047 (20 per cent) patients were military personnel and the military-related burn causes comprised only 6 per cent of the total. The remaining 4217 (80 per cent of the total patients) were civilians. Flame injuries were also more frequent in military patients than civilians. Minor burns were most common in the age group 0-10 years old (40 per cent) and moderate to major burns in the age group 21-30 years (54 per cent). Scalds were the main cause of paediatric burns. Male patients were dominant. The overall mortality among inpatients was 18.2 per cent and mean total body surface area (TBSA) was 57.6 per cent in patients who died. 134 patients demonstrated inhalation injury and 82 per cent of these patients died. The epidemiological pattern of our patients is similar to that in other studies from developed countries, although some ethnic causative factors could be found. Our study indicates that emergency measures should be taken to prevent flame injuries at military barracks and industrial workplaces and scalding accidents to children at home and throughout the country.

Four limb amputations due to electrical burn caused by TV antenna contact with overhead electric cables

A 22-year-old man who sustained four limb amputations due to an electrical burn caused by contact of a TV receiver antenna with overhead electric cables is presented. The indications for limb amputation and the necessary preventive measures for such injuries are discussed.