A study of electrocution death in manipur
-
Upload
soreingam-ragui -
Category
Education
-
view
229 -
download
2
description
Transcript of A study of electrocution death in manipur
A study of electrocution deaths in Manipur
Presenter:- Dr Soreingam Ragui, PGTDr Kh. Pradipkumar Singh, DemonstratorDr Th. Meera, Associate ProfessorDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal
IntroductionElectrocution:- Passage of a substantial electrical current through the tissue which can cause skin lesions, organ damage and death
Injury and death from passage of an electric current through the body are common in both industrial and domestic circumstances.
INCIDENCE OF ELECTROCUTION DEATHS : Developed country like the US:- Consumer product associated electrocution) during 2002 to 2008 =432 deaths
Developing country like India (NCRB):- In 2008 = 8067 deathsIn 2009 = 8539 deaths i.e. 2.4 % of All Accidental deaths.
Aim of the study
To study the incidence of electrocution
deaths .
To detect the common source of
electrocution.
To study the pattern of injuries sustained.
Materials & methodsStudy design : Descriptive.Study period : Retrospective study from 1st
Jan 2007 to 31st Dec 2011(5 Yrs.).Materials : History, police papers and post
mortem reportsMethods : Analysis of the Medico legal
reports of 2463 cases brought for autopsy at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal during the said period.
Results
Fig 1. Year wise distribution of cases
YEARS
1.28 %
0.76%
0.5%
1.65%
1.18%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Fig. 2 Age distribution
AGE0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
1 to 10 yrs
11 to 20 yrs
21 to 30 yrs
31 to 40 yrs
41 to 50 yrs
51 & ABOVE
96%
4%
MALE FEMALE
Fig. 4 Place of occurrence
PLACE OF INCIDENT
32%
68%
HOUSE ROAD
Fig. 5 Causative agent
HIGH TENSION WIRE60%
HOME AP-PLIANCE
28%
WATER PUMP12%
Fig 6. Pattern of wounds
ENTRY WOUND EXIT WOUND0
10
20
30
40
50
60
HEAD AND NECK
LEFT HAND
RIGHT HAND
LEFT FOOT
RIGHT FOOT
CHEST
ABSENT
Fig 7. Type of electrical burn
TYPE OF BURN0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
FLASHJOULE
Fig 8 : Survival period
SURVIVAL PERIOD0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
IMMEDIATE 1 to 3 hrs AFTER ELECTROCUTION
Discussion
The widespread commercial utilization of electrical power has been associated with a rapid increase of both fatal and non fatal injuries.
In our study, male accounted for 92.30 % of the cases which is in consistence with the findings of other workers viz. Sheikhazadi A et al, J Forensic
Med Pathol 2010 (96.6%),Wick R et al Med Sci Law
2006 (91%) & Bharath K et al JIAFM 2012 (91.93%) .
This predominance of males is attributed to more association of males with electrical appliance and with its repair much more than their female counterparts.
The most common age group in this study was 21-30 yrs (53.84 %) and electrocution was very rare in both extremes of ages.
This age group is the most active phase in life with higher chances of exposure to risk.
Similar finding were also noted by different workers in different part of the country by Bharath K et al JIAFM 2012 , Gupta BD et al JIAFM 2012 & Shaha KK Med Sci Law 2010 .
Household accidental electrocution (78.06%) i.e. indoor was observed by Dokov W in Varna Bulgaria Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg 2010 .
Similar findings were observed by Byard RW in South Australia Paediatr Child Health 2003 , Bharath K et al in Andhra Pradesh JIAFM 2012 , India & B.D Gupta et al in Gujarat, India JIAFM 2012 .
These findings are in contrast to the findings of our study where most of the cases occurred outdoors(68%).
This may be attributed to the erratic power supply in the State (only 2 – 3 hrs/day for domestic consumers) and poor maintenance of electric cables in this part of the country starting from using of bad quality wire, breakage which may remain unattended on the road side leading to accidental electrocution.
78.06% of the cases were accidental in a study by Dokov W in Varna, Bulgaria Ulus
Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2010 whereas it was 61.86% in another study by Shaha KK et al in Tamil Nadu, India Med Sci Law 2010 .
Interestingly, in the present series all the cases were accidental in nature.
60.7% were dead on the scene and 31.9% were dead on arrival at hospital (Sheikhazadi A et al) Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2010 .
88% died immediately after the shock (Shaha KK) Med Sci Law 2010 .
In our study, significant number of victims died immediately following electric shock (92.30 %) which may be compared with the findings of Rautji R wherein 98.03 % died on the scene of the fatal event and only 1.96 % died in hospital Med Sci Law 2003.
77.77 % of entry wound were in the upper limb and 43.75 % of exit wound in the lower limb by Bharath k et al JIAFM 2012. Similar findings were observed by Tirasci Y Tohoku J
Exp Med 2006 and Sheikhazadi A et al Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2010
We also observed that most of the Entry wounds were on the right hand (48 %) and no entry or exit wounds were present in 26.92 % .
Surprisingly high tension wire was the most common source of electrocution in our study with 53.85 % and flash burn was the most common type of electrical burn seen (60%) which is in sharp contrast to other studies where the most common source were usually household electrical appliances (Byard RW
Paediatric Child Health. 2003 , Bharath K et al JIAFM 2012.)
ConclusionThe danger of getting electrocuted from the
lowly installed high tension electric wires and haphazardly fixed up electric supply wire without proper maintenance in most parts of the State is indeed a matter of concern.
However, electric supply system has been
updated in the previous year with the installation of underground cables in some parts of the State and positive changes are expected in the near future.
REFERENCE1) Gupta BD, Mehta RA, Trangadia MM. Profile of deaths due to electrocution : A retrospective study . JIAFM .2012 Jan-March;34(1):13-5.2) Bharath KG, Sheikh K ,Uday PS . Pattern of injuries due to electric current. JIAFM .2012 Jan-March;34(1):44-8. 3) Dokov W. Electrocution-related mortality: A review of 351 deaths by low-voltage electrical current. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2010 Mar;16(2):139-43.4) Sheikhazadi A, Kiani M, Ghadyani MH. Electrocution-related mortality: a survey of 295 deaths in Tehran, Iran between 2002 and 2006. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2010 Mar;31(1):42-5.
5) Shaha KK, Joe AE. Electrocution-related mortality: a retrospective review of 118 deaths in Coimbatore, India, between January 2002 and December 2006. Med Sci Law. 2010 Apr;50(2):72-4. 6) Wick R, Gilbert JD, Simpson E, Byard RW. Fatal electrocution in adults--a 30-year study. Med Sci Law. 2006 Apr;46(2):166-72.7) Tirasci Y, Goren S, Subasi M, Gurkan F. Electrocution-related mortality: a review of 123 deaths in Diyarbakir, Turkey between 1996 and 2002. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2006 Feb;208(2):141-5.
8) Byard RW, Hanson KA, Gilbert JD, James RA, Nadeau J, Blackbourne B, Krous HF. Death due to electrocution in childhood and early adolescence. Paediatr Child Health. 2003 Jan-Feb;39(1):46-8. 9) Rautji R, Rudra A, Behera C, Dogra TD. Electrocution in South Delhi: a retrospective study. Med Sci Law. 2003 Oct;43(4):350-2.