Study of electrical injuries in fatal cases brought to Gandhi Hospital Mortuary, telangana

Abstract

Background: Electrocution deaths aremostly accidental in nature. Lack of public awareness, carelessness, misuse or improper maintenance of electric equipment are responsible for electrocution worldwide.Aim of the study: To study electrical injuries in fatal cases brought to Gandhi Hospital mortuary.Materials and Methods:This was a cross sectional study on fatal cases of electricalinjuries which were subjected for postmortem examination at Gandhi Hospital mortuary, Secunderabad, over a period of two years from 1st July 2012 to 31st June 2014. A total number of 10867 postmortem examinations were done from June 2010 to May 2012. Results: A total of 10867 postmortem examinations were done from June 2010 to May 2012. The total deaths due to electrical injuries in two years were 75(0.69%).Among the total cases of study population, male deaths were 70(93.3%) and constituted majority of the electrocution deaths where as female deaths were 5 (6.67%).In the present study, 74 cases (98.67%) showed electrocution deaths and only 1 case (1.33%) of electrocution deaths showed association with head injury.Conclusion: In our study,human negligence was found to be the major cause of electrical injury. (54.67%) . Majorities of fatalities were caused by touching high tension wires (65.33%). Electrocution can be prevented by educating people about the precautions and protective measures while working with electrical equipment. Proper maintenance of electrical equipment can help reduce electrocution deaths.