Perioperative management of a case for elective surgery after high-voltage electrical injury

Abstract

The spectrum of electrical injury ranges from minor skin lesions to severe multiorgan damage, at times associated with occult or delayed complications and even death. High-voltage electrical injury is characterized by skin lesions that are confined in comparison to the profound destruction of deeper tissues involved and masked by the good general condition of the patient. In light of the limited existing literature, we share our experience of managing a patient who survived a high-voltage electrical injury (6000 V) 5 days prior to scheduled laparoscopic interval appendicectomy, and discuss the factors that influence the degree of injury, probable complications, and our perioperative management.