Electrocution-related mortality: a review of 351 deaths by low-voltage electrical current

BACKGROUND
We describe herein the characteristics of lethal injuries caused by low-voltage electrical current (electrocution), the most frequent injury caused by electrical current.
METHODS
Nine hundred forty-five cases over a period of 41 years (1965-2006) were reviewed, of which, 351 electrocution cases were identified. The descriptive statistical analyses were carried out with the application of SPSS 11.0 software.
RESULTS
Electrocution accounted for 37.14% of all studied electricity-caused injuries. The average age of the victims was 35.25 years. The average age of male victims was 36.19 years and of female victims was 32.55 years. The distribution by gender showed a significant prevalence of the male sex (74.07%). Among the circumstances leading to electrocution, household accidents (78.06%) prevailed over occupational accidents (13.39%). Suicides were significantly rarer (7.41%). 66.10% of all electrocution cases occurred during the summer period from June through September.
CONCLUSION
Household accidents prevail among the circumstances under which electrocution occurs, with an insignificant difference in the male/female proportion in this group. The majority of electrocutions occurred during the summer period (June-September). The results obtained in this research can help in the development of a differentiated strategy for the prevention of electrocution, while taking into consideration gender, age and season of the year.

Elektrik çarpmasýyla iliþkili mortalite: Düþük voltajlý elektrik akýmý ile gerçekleþen 351 ölüme iliþkin bir derleme

AMAÇ
Bu yazýda, düþük voltajlý elektrik akýmýnýn (elektrik çarpmasý) yol açtýðý ölümcül yaralanmalar, elektrik akýmý nedeniyle görülen en sýk yaralanmalarýn özellikleri deðerlendirildi.
GEREÇ VE YÖNTEM
Çalýþmada, 351 tanesi elektrik çarpmasý olan 945 olgu, 41 yýllýk bir periyod (1965-2006) boyunca belirlendi. Tanýmlayýcý istatistiksel analizler SPSS 11.0 programý kullanýlarak yapýldý.
BULGULAR
Elektrik çarpmasý, çalýþmaya alýnan elektrikle oluþan bütün hasarlarýn %37,14’ünün nedeniydi. Kurbanlarýn ortalama yaþý 35,25 idi (erkek ortalama yaþ 36,19; kadýn ortalama yaþ 32,55). Cinsiyete göre daðýlýmda erkek cinsiyeti (%74,07) belirgin þekilde daha sýktý. Elektrik çarpmasýna yol açmýþ bulunan koþullar arasýnda, ev kazalarý (%78,06) iþ kazalarýndan (%13,39) daha çok görülmekteydi. Ýntiharlar anlamlý þekilde nadirdir (%7,41). Tüm elektrik çarpmasý vakalarýnýn %66,10’u yaz döneminde, Haziran’dan Eylül’e kadar oluþmuþtur.
SONUÇ
Ev kazalarý, erkek/kadýn oranýnýn anlamlý bir farklýlýk göstermediði bir grupta daha hakim gözükmektedir. Olgularýn çoðunluðu yaz döneminde (Haziran - Eylül) ortaya çýkmaktadýr. Bu araþtýrmadan elde edilen bulgular, cinsiyeti, yaþý ve yýlýn sezonu göz önüne alarak elektrik çarpmasýný önlemeye yönelik farklý bir strateji oluþturulmasýna hizmet edebilir.