TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1997//
TI  - Electrical injury from subway third rails: serious injury associated with intermediate voltage contact
JO  - Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
A1  - Rabban, J.
A1  - Adler, J.
A1  - Rosen, Craig
A1  - Blair, James
A1  - Sheridan, R.
SP  - 515
EP  - 518
VL  - 23
IS  - 6
N2  - BACKGROUND: Railway and subway-associated electrical trauma is rare and typically involves high voltage (> 20,000) arc injuries. Not all rail systems utilize such high voltage. We report 16 cases of electrical trauma due to 600 V direct contact with subway 'third' rails. METHODS: A case series of injured patients presenting to Shriners Burns Institute, Boston or Massachusetts General Hospital between 1970 and 1995 was retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 16 cases was identified. Among seven subway workers, the mechanism of rail contact was unintentional by a tool, a hand or by falling; no deaths occurred. Among nine non-occupational victims, injuries involved suicide attempts, unintentional falls, or risk-taking behavior. This group suffered greater burn severity, operative procedures, and complications; three deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest report series of direct electrical trauma from a subway third rail. The high morbidity and mortality from this 600 V contact suggests that the traditional classification of low voltage (< 1000 V) exposure can be subdivided to reflect the serious and lethal potential of intermediate range exposures compared to household range exposures (0-220 V).<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0305-4179
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -