Electrical burns in sports fishing: a case report.
Electrical burns are among the most devastating types of burns, with wide-ranging injuries. They can sometimes occur in the context of fishing, usually involving high voltages. The authors present the case of a 59-year-old-man who suffered a sports accident during a fishing competition, with the formation of an electrical arc due to proximity of the fishing rod and high voltage cables. He presented burns affecting 3% of TBSA, third degree deep burns on trunk and left hand; no signs of cardiac injury. He was admitted to our Burn Unit for monitoring, care dressing and surgical treatment; complete wound healing was achieved after 24 days. Due to its relatively small share among burns, published data on electrical injuries and fishing remain scarce, and differ in patient collectives due to infrastructural or environmental differences. The authors are not aware of published specific reports on electrical burns in sports fishing practice, like the case here presented. The authors want to alert for potential medical, social and economic consequences of this type of sports accidents that could be entirely avoidable with some preventive measures.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: ritavf@sapo.pt.
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R
Valença-Filipe
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
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P
Egipto
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
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R
Horta
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
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JM
Braga
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
J
J
Costa
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
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A
Silva
D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D002058:Burns, Electric / Q000601:surgery*; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000601:surgery*
Electrical burns; Fishing; High voltage burn; Sports fishing