An increase in electrical burns during the covid lockdown in Western Cape, South Africa.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 8913178 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-1409 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03054179 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Burns Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier
      Original Publication: [Guildford, Surrey, UK] : Butterworths, [c1989-
    • Subject Terms:
      COVID-19*/epidemiology ; Burns, Electric*/epidemiology; Humans ; South Africa/epidemiology ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Logistic Models ; Child ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Burns/epidemiology
    • Abstract:
      Background: A severe Covid lockdown in South Africa may have changed burn patterns due to the downturn of the economy and stay-at-home policies. We describe the volume and type of burn admitted to a tertiary hospital before and during the Covid lockdown.
      Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study from before (April 2019-March 2020) and during (April 2020-March 2021) the Covid pandemic. Patient demographics, burn etiology, and clinical outcomes were described. Logistic regression was used to model associations between burn etiology and the Covid period.
      Results: Of 544 burns, 254 (46.7%) occurred before and 290 (53.3%, p = 0.051) during Covid. The proportion of electrical burns doubled during Covid n = 20, 32.3% vs n = 42, 67.7%, (p = 0.053) periods. At least half were associated with suspected cable or copper theft. On multivariate analysis, flame burns (OR=2.42, p < 0.001), electrical burns (OR=4.88, p < 0.001), and paying patients (OR=4.21, p < 0.001) were more likely to be associated with the Covid period.
      Conclusion: Electrical burns doubled during Covid, potentially related to an increase in cable and copper wire theft, a phenomenon described during hard economic times in other settings. More studies to understand this potential relationship are indicated to prepare burn centers during future pandemics and/or economic hardship.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None.
      (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Burns; Covid lockdown; Electrocution; South Africa
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240309 Date Completed: 20240523 Latest Revision: 20240715
    • Publication Date:
      20240715
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.burns.2024.02.011
    • Accession Number:
      38461080