Electrical burns suffered by copper thieves

• Published in: Annals of burns and fire disasters Vol. 24; no. 2; p. 63
• Main Authors: Belmir, R, Fejjal, N, Achbouk, H, El Mazouz, S, Gharib, N, Abassi, A, Belmahi, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: Italy 30.06.2011
• ISSN: 1592-9566

Thefts of copper appear to have been on the increase for some time owing to its high resale price. This has led to an increase in the number of high-voltage electrical accidents (HVEA). Such accidents are very serious because they cause deep burns along the neurovascular axis. A report is presented describing a series of nine patients presenting HVEA admitted to the Ibn Sina Hospital Plastic Surgery and Burns Division in Rabat, Morocco, with a study of the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects. The patients all belonged to the young and active sector of the population. The burns were secondary to contact with high-voltage cables occurring during the attempted stealing of copper by stripping electric conductors in transformers (67% of the cases) and in attempts to cut overhead lines supplying electric trains on the railway network (33%). Electrothermal treatment of the lesions required repeated surgery with amputation and disarticulation of necrotic limb segments (67% of the cases), the consequences of which were marked by disabling functional sequelae. Preventing this type of HVEA remains fundamental.