TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - An increase in electrical burns during the Covid lockdown in Western Cape, South Africa
JO  - Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
A1  - MacQuene, Tamlyn
A1  - Kleintjes, Wayne
A1  - Nieuwoudt, Willa
A1  - Camp, Sarah
A1  - Lydon, Georgia
A1  - Chu, Kathryn
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - 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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0305-4179
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2024.02.011
ID  - ref1
ER  -