Late complications of high-voltage electrical injury might involve multiple systems and be related to current path.
Delayed complications of electrical burns are mostly unexpected, and the link between the injury and the symptoms often goes unrecognized. A possible relation between source-ground sites and late clinical manifestations was recently emphasized. We report a unique case of combined intestinal-spinal delayed complications following a high-voltage electrical injury, a possible explanation being a greater current flow through the right hemisoma. The potential for late complications is an additional feature that physicians must consider in managing electrical injuries. Manifestations are variable and presentation is confounding, but current flow path can constitute a precious source of information to predict complications in the late phase of management.
Burn Unit, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy.
B
B
Azzena
Burn Unit, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
I
I
Tocco-Tussardi
Burn Unit, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy.
A
A
Pontini
Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
B
B
Presman
Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
F
F
Huss
current path; electrical burn; spinal cord injury; visceral injury