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Background: The electric flash burns are a common cause of accident at workplace, especially among electricians. The aim of this study is to determine the parts of the body most often burned by the flash, to define the usual course and finally to give some simple rules of care and prevention., Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective, observational and descriptive study including all patients treated at the University Hospital of Tours for electrical flash burns between 1 January 2003 and 01 January 2013. A collection of medical and socio-economic data was achieved. We present 3 cases of patients hospitalized in our department., Results: Thirty-three patients were included. In our series, all hospitalized patients were men. The average age was 43.2years (range 18 to 82years). In 81% of cases, the burn was due to a low voltage source, in 19% of cases to a high voltage source. It was an accident at workplace for 71% of patients, of whom 67% were electricians. The average total burned area was 9,52% (from 1.5% to 24%). The main locations included the face (86%), upper limbs (86%) and hands (86%). Medical treatment has healed 95% of patients. A surgical procedure was required in 5% of cases. A post-traumatic stress was found in 41% of patients. Outpatient treatment was performed in 36% of cases., Conclusion: Flash burns remain a common cause of hospitalization. Screening for hearing and eye disorders, a post-traumatic stress, as well as the prescription of early physiotherapy for burned hands are important components of their management. Following simple rules of prevention would limit their morbidity., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The semi free latissimus dorsi flap is characterized by a temporary vascular anastomosis on a pedicle not belonging to the loco-regional anatomy of the skin defect; after a period of autonomy, the section of the flap pedicle is obligatory. Its advantage compared to the classic free flap is the great microsurgical security avoiding complex, and stressful supervision in the postoperative period. From June 1998 to January 2001, 7 patients ranging from 18 to 65 years old and suffering from large scalp defects going between 20 x 13 cm and 27 x 18 cm have benefited from this surgical method. The etiology of these defects was: in 4 cases dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans involving the periost, in 1 case destruction of the near entirety of the scalp and calvarium by electrical burn, in 1 case an instable scar of burn with osteomyelitis and in the last case an osteomyelitis on a frontal cranioplasty. Three stages have been used:--The thoraco-dorsal artery was anastomosed on the wrist to the radial artery in a termino-lateral way and the thoraco-dorsal vein to the superficiel radial vein in a termino-terminal way;--The flap was fixed to the forearm for 2 weeks, then, the debridement which has always exposed the dura was done; The flap was sutured to the defect after reconstruction of calvarial defect with the méthylmétacrylate implant;--After 3 weeks the pedicle was sectioned and the flap tailored exactly to the defect. No postoperative complications were reported. With a mean follow-up of 18 months, the scalp coverage was very satisfactory.

The authors report a 32-year-old Kurd patient who sustained bilateral corneal electrical burn by torture in 1982. A penetrating keratoplasty surgery was performed in 1992. The clinical and histopathological corneal diseases were described.