91% patients with burn injuries men, mostly labourers and electricians

The department of plastic surgery had conducted the study among 103 patients who were admitted in the hospital with burn injuries last year. The hospital receives around 400 patients every year with burn injuries.

The study pointed out that around 91 per cent of such patients were men and mostly labourers and electricians.

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In most of the cases, the patients got injured because of ignorance or carelessness. Around 31 per cent of the patients suffered injuries while coming in contact with live wires in fields or rooftops. Around 20 per cent of the patients suffered injuries while dealing with transformers.

Of the 103 patients studied, 40 per cent of them were uneducated and took up the job without sufficient safety measures. Doctors have termed electrical burns a rampant problem in the country. The PGI doctors have made some observations in the study. “Extensive injuries need to be managed in a tertiary carecentre with a multidisciplinary approach. The quality of life of patients with high voltage burns and amputees was poor.”

The study has also revealed that the patients had to go undergo various surgeries, while 39 per cent of them had to go for amputation during treatment.

Several measures to lessen the number of electric burn cases have been recommended. It has also recommended adequate enforcement of electric safety regulation with “stiffer penalties for non-compliance”.

Dr R K Sharma, head of the department, plastic surgery, PGI, said there has been a change in trend among the burn patients. “Earlier, we used to receive mostly women patients. But, now the trend is changing and men are more in number,” he said.