Auditory and neuropsychiatric behavior patterns after electrical injury.
Major electrical injury causes widespread tissue destruction. Slow and incomplete functional recovery after electrocution-type injury has led clinicians to suspect residual brain damage. One hundred and one consecutive patients who were admitted to the hospital because of electrical injury were studied. Forty-eight had electric-current injury. The other 53 had flash, contact, or arcing burns (electrical injury without passage of current). A primary study cohort of 16 patients with electric-current injury and 18 patients who had electrical injury without passage of current received specialized trauma-based psychiatric treatment, which was coordinated with serial auditory and neurologic studies. This strategy served to highlight discrepancies between preinjury and postinjury performance. Twelve of 16 patients with electric-current injury showed neurobehavioral (organic) dysfunction after 1 year, which implied brain damage; eight showed persistent auditory changes. Four of 18 patients who had electrical injury without passage of current met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder after 1 year; none had neurobehavioral or auditory dysfunction. These findings indicate that patients with electric-current injury are at risk for permanent auditory dysfunction and brain damage, whereas those with other types of electrical burns are not.
Burn Center of Southern California, Sherman Oaks Hospital, Los Angeles.
A R
AR
Grossman
C E
CE
Tempereau
M F
MF
Brones
H S
HS
Kulber
L J
LJ
Pembrook
D000328:Adult; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002058:Burns, Electric / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*