Abstract
Among the 1206 burn patients admitted on a five-year period, 116 were as a result of high tension electrical injuries. These cases were analyzed for neuromuscular complications. The incidence of neurological complication was 44%, amputations 26% and significant muscle damage 24%. Many patients had combinations of neurological involvement and musculoskeletal involvement. The detection of the neurological complications is often difficult in these patients with multisystem trauma. It is our feeling that neurological lesions, especially spinal cord injury following electrical accidents, are more frequently encountered than is generally recognized. Sometimes clinical manifestations are transient and may go unnoticed. Rehabilitation of patients with electrical injuries are often complicated because of the combination of the disabilities. Awareness of some of the common complications and evaluation of these complications in the early stages will help initiation of the rehabilitation programme before any permanent deformities have set in.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.