title: Electrical burn injuries of 246 patients treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo during the period 2005-2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the developing world, the incidence of electrical injuries has increased in the past few years. Electrical injuries represent approximately 5 % of all burn admissions to burn units in the United States.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to understand the causes of electrical burns in our population, sex, age, duration of treatment, distribution of electrical burns by season, accompanying other traumatic injuries with electrical burns, entry lesions of high-voltage electrocution, location of injuries, the methods of treatment, duration of treatment, and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study that included 246 patients with electrical burns treated in the 2005-2010 period at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Kosovo. The data were collected and analyzed from the archives and protocols of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. Data processing was done with the statistical package InStat 3. From the statistical parameters the structural index, arithmetic median, and standard deviation were calculated. Data testing was done with the χ(2) test and the differences were considered significant if p < 0.05.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high mortality, 9.1 %, and 7 patients (10.6 %) transferred out of our country for treatment is a reflection of the lack of a burn center in our department.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Rrethi i Spitalit p.n., Prishtina, 10000, Kosovo. xeni978@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Duci
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Rrethi i Spitalit p.n., Prishtina, 10000, Kosovo. arifihysni@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Arifi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo. hasan_ahmeti@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Ahmeti
authors.affiliation: Dentistry Faculty, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo. dr.moza_79@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Selmani
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Rrethi i Spitalit p.n., Prishtina, 10000, Kosovo. zejn_70@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Buja
authors.affiliation: Emergency Center, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo. musligashi@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Rrethi i Spitalit p.n., Prishtina, 10000, Kosovo. violetazatriqi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Zatriqi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo. agon_mekaj@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Mekaj
keywords: Distribution; Electrical burns; Lack
references.citation: Ann Burns Fire Disasters. 2010 Mar 31;23(1):4-7
references.pmid: 21991188
references.citation: J Burn Care Res. 2006 Jul-Aug;27(4):439-47
references.pmid: 16819345
references.citation: Crit Care Med. 1990 Mar;18(3):293-7
references.pmid: 2302956
references.citation: Can Med Assoc J. 1967 Aug 26;97(9):453-8
references.pmid: 6034713
references.citation: J Trauma. 1994 Aug;37(2):328-32
references.pmid: 8064936
references.citation: J Burn Care Rehabil. 2003 Sep-Oct;24(5):309-14
references.pmid: 14501400
references.citation: J Burn Care Res. 2010 Nov-Dec;31(6):931-4
references.pmid: 20852430
references.citation: Postgrad Med J. 1957 May;33(379):219-23
references.pmid: 13431546
references.citation: Ann Plast Surg. 2007 Mar;58(3):273-8
references.pmid: 17471131
references.citation: Burns. 1997 Nov-Dec;23(7-8):576-8
references.pmid: 9568327
references.citation: Curr Probl Surg. 1997 Sep;34(9):677-764
references.pmid: 9365421
references.citation: Crit Care Med. 2002 Nov;30(11 Suppl):S424-30
references.pmid: 12528784
references.citation: Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2006 Apr;85(4):383-413
references.pmid: 16554686
references.citation: J Burn Care Res. 2007 Jan-Feb;28(1):120-6
references.pmid: 17211211
references.citation: Burns. 2008 Feb;34(1):111-3
references.pmid: 17618054
references.citation: Mcgill J Med. 2011 Jun;13(1):18
references.pmid: 22399869
references.citation: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999 Oct 30;888:12-8
references.pmid: 10842615
references.citation: J Burn Care Rehabil. 2004 Nov-Dec;25(6):479-84
references.pmid: 15534455