Team Approach Helps Patient Survive High-voltage Electric Burn

Summary: A 20-year-old man was subjected to high-voltage electric burn, which was occupational. The patient was admitted to AlGalaa Military Medical Complex almost 2 weeks after the accident had happened. According to Lund and Browder's chart, the patient had a 40% total body surface area burn involving the upper limbs, anterior and posterior trunks, and the left thigh (third- and fourth-degree burns). The aim of this study was to stabilize the patient by conducting lifesaving operations in multiple scheduled sessions, bilateral below-elbow amputations, escharotomies, and excision of affected ribs and cartilages. A left latissimus dorsi flap used to cover the left side of the anterior chest wall. Skin grafting (split thickness, meshed 1:3) was done to cover the raw areas. Multiple aggressive operations by a multidisciplinary team saved the patient's life. The victim suffered a major injury and was handicapped, but he survived. It was not necessary to replace the excised ribs with prosthesis because of the preserved sternum. An electric burn poses a burden on many people in addition to the patients themselves.

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