Electricity burns damage internal organs, requires special care, says doc
Doctors said that when handling a burn injury patient, the person attending to them should first evaluate the injury and ensure the source of the injury, whether fire or electricity, is completely cut off.
LUCKNOW: There is a difference in burn injuries caused by fire compared to those caused by electricity. Fire burns show visible damage on the skin, while electrical burns often result in more damage to internal organs, said doctors at an awareness programme at King George’s Medical University on Saturday.
“In electricity burn cases, the current passes through organs such as the heart, lungs, and liver, causing damage that is not visible externally, unlike fire burns where the damage is clear on the skin. Hence, while handling an electricity burn patient, one should ensure utmost care,” said Prof. Divya Narain Upadhyay, senior faculty of plastic surgery at KGMU.
The event was organised to mark World Plastic Surgery Day, which falls on July 15. HoD of plastic surgery, Prof. Vijay Kumar, said, “Awareness levels have increased among people, who now come directly to the plastic surgery department in case of burn injuries. The issue now is the proper handling of the patient while being brought from the accident site to the hospital or a trained plastic surgeon.
Doctors said that when handling a burn injury patient, the person attending to them should first evaluate the injury and ensure the source of the injury, whether fire or electricity, is completely cut off.
Doctors from the department, including Prof. Virendra Prasad, Dr. Sandhya Pandey, Dr. Ravi Kumar, Dr. Anshu Singh, and Dr. Bhavya Naithani, were present at the event.