Predictors of mortality following electrical and lightning injuries in Malawi: A decade of experience.

Electrical injuries can be devastating, and data is lacking in low-resource settings. We aimed to identify predictors of mortality following electrical and lightning injuries (ELI) in Malawi. We performed a retrospective observational study of patients presenting with ELI and burn injuries at a tertiary hospital in Malawi from 2011 to 2020. Outcomes were compared and predictors of mortality were modeled. A total of 382 ELI and 6371 burn patients were included. The mean ages for ELI and burn groups were 24 ± 14 and 11 ± 14 years, respectively (p < 0.01). Most patients were injured at home (91% in the burn group versus 51% in the ELI group, p < 0.01). The crude mortality rate in the ELI group was 28%, compared to 12% in the burn group (p < 0.01). On multivariate logistic regression, predictors of mortality included ELI (odds ratio [OR] 13.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.2-24.5) and total body surface area burned (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.1-1.1). Predicted mortality for ELI has increased over time (p = 0.05). ELI confers more than 13 times higher odds of mortality than burn injuries in Malawi, with mortality risk increasing over time. More efforts are needed to prevent electrical hazards and implement timely interventions for patients with ELI.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd and International Society of Burns Injuries. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial inter- est (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.