title: Electrocardiographic monitoring after electrical injury: necessity or luxury.
abstract: It has been common practice to perform routine electrocardiographic (EKG) monitoring of electrically burned patients for the first 24 hours following injury. Is this monitoring necessary, or is it a luxury based on remote probabilities? The records of 48 consecutive patients admitted with high-voltage (greater than 1,000 volts) electrical injuries were reviewed with respect to history of a cardiac event in the field, EKG abnormalities on admission, and the presence of cardiac arrhythmias during the first postinjury day. No serious arrhythmias occurred in any patients who had a normal EKG on admission. It was concluded that routine cardiac monitoring after a high-voltage injury should be individualized based on history of loss of consciousness, documentation of an arrythmia, or an abnormal EKG.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002058:Burns, Electric / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies