Electrocution-Related Mortality: A Review of 123 Deaths in Diyarbakir, Turkey between 1996 and 2002

Abstract

Electrical burns are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality, and are usually preventable with simple safety measures. We conducted a retrospective study of non-lightening electrocution deaths in Diyarbakir, Turkey between 1996 and 2002. All 123 deaths investigated were accidental. The age range was 2 to 63 years with a mean age of 20.7 ± 15.3 years. Eighty-six victims (69.9%) were male. The upper extremity was the most frequently involved contact site in 96 deaths (48%). No electrical burn mark was present in 14 (11.4%) cases. Home accidents were responsible for 56 cases deaths (45.5%). Deaths were caused most frequently by touching an electrical wire (52 cases, 42.3%). There was an increase in electrocution deaths in the summer (47 cases, 38.2%). One hundred one cases (82.1%) were dead on arrival at hospital. The unique findings of our study include younger age (0-10 years) of victims (39 cases, 31.7%) and a means of electrocution (electrical water heaters in bathroom) in 23 cases (18.7%). Rate of deaths due to electrocution among all medicolegal deaths was found higher in our study than in previous studies. The public should be educated to prevent children to play near electrical appliances and to avoid electrical heaters in the bathroom.

Accidental electrocution fatalities in Puducherry: A 3-year retrospective study

“…The high incidence of electrocution-related mortality at summer and monsoon is consistent with that reported in studies carried out in Turkey [1] and New Delhi [6] . The seasonal variations in electrocution-related deaths are due to differences in humidity, moisture, and individual behavior.…”

“…[1,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] According to our data, the vulnerable age for electrocution-related deaths is between 21 and 40 years (54%), particularly adults between 21 and 30 years (33%). We reported the least number of cases in extremes of ages, though children and adolescents up to 17 years represented about 15% of cases.…”

“…Other studies have reported much higher percentage of entry marks alone (72%-86.27%). [1,6,13] Although most of the electrical wounds were located on the upper extremities, in the majority of cases entry marks were specifically noticed on the palms and fingers. Similarly, exit marks were commonly located on the lower extremities and more so on the soles and toes in this study.…”

“…Similarly, exit marks were commonly located on the lower extremities and more so on the soles and toes in this study. Many studies on electrocution-related injuries report that entry and exit marks are commonly located over upper and lower extremities, [1,6,13] because most of the times people handle electrical appliances with bare hands and work without using any insulating materials or footwear. Entry mark alone is the major electrical injury in electrocution-related deaths.…”

“…Electric current is accountable for a significant proportion of deaths, but such hazards can be minimized with the proper use of safety measures. [1] Electrical injuries are becoming an emerging health problem in low-income countries due to extensive usage of electricity by general public and less awareness of safety issues among them. [2] Data on accidental deaths and suicides in India (2012) have reported that 8945 and 8750 individuals were electrocuted in 2011 and 2012, respectively.…”