• Burns · Mar 2020

    Review

    Direct current electrical injuries: A systematic review of case reports and case series.

    • Dagmar Dechent, Tanja Emonds, Dominik Stunder, Kristina Schmiedchen, Thomas Kraus, and Sarah Driessen.
    • Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: dechent@femu.rwth-aachen.de.
    • Burns. 2020 Mar 1; 46 (2): 267-278.

    BackgroundDirect current (DC) powered equipment and devices, including photovoltaic systems, high-voltage direct current power lines and novel concepts in electromobility have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, under adverse circumstances by malfunction or mishandling of these applications electrical injuries may occur when electric current passes through the human body. This review aimed at systematically summarizing the medical consequences of DC electrical injuries described in case reports and case series.MethodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guided the methodological conduct and reporting.ResultsSixteen case reports and 3 case series were eligible for this review and included 70 patients. The reviewed articles were very heterogeneous regarding sources of DC electrical injuries and the reported medical consequences, including burns and skin lesions (n=67), neurological consequences (n=11), unconsciousness (n=10), cardiac consequences (n=8) and bone fractures (n=6). Seventeen individuals did not survive the electrical injuries.ConclusionFrom the few available data and partly incomplete documentations of cases we could gather hints of DC medical consequences, however, it was not possible to identify well-defined medical consequences for various circumstances of DC electrical injuries in occupational and non-occupational settings. To achieve this goal, additional studies are required, each providing a comprehensive description of the medical consequences and the circumstances of the electrical injuries.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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