Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary
Background. Fracture resulting from household electric shock is uncommon. When it occurs, it is usually the result of a fall; however, electricity itself can cause sufficient tetany to produce a fracture. We present the case of bilateral fractures of the distal radii of a 12-year-old boy which we...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/235756 |
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| _version_ | 1832548478030446592 |
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| author | Norman Stone Mara Karamitopoulos David Edelstein Jenifer Hashem James Tucci |
| author_facet | Norman Stone Mara Karamitopoulos David Edelstein Jenifer Hashem James Tucci |
| author_sort | Norman Stone |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background.
Fracture resulting from household electric shock is uncommon. When it occurs, it is usually the result of a fall; however, electricity itself can cause sufficient tetany to produce a fracture. We present the case of bilateral fractures of the distal radii of a 12-year-old boy which were sustained after accidental shock. The literature regarding fractures after domestic electric shock is also reviewed.
Methods.
An Ovid-Medline search was conducted. The resultant articles and their bibliographies were surveyed for cases describing fractures resulting from a typical household-level voltage (110–220 V, 50–60 Hertz) and not a fall after the shock. Twenty-one articles describing 22 patients were identified.
Results.
Twenty-two cases were identified. Thirteen were unilateral injuries; 9 were bilateral. Proximal humerus fractures were most frequent (8 cases), followed by scapula fractures (7 cases), forearm fractures (4 cases), femoral neck fractures (2 cases), and vertebral body fracture (1 case). Eight of the 22 cases were diagnosed days to weeks after the injury.
Conclusions.
Fracture after electric shock is uncommon. It should be suspected in patients with persistent pain, particularly in the shoulder or forearm area. Distal radius fractures that occur during electrocution are likely due to tetany. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-948c72288c134d809940fa10c8ca11e1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-9627 1687-9635 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-948c72288c134d809940fa10c8ca11e12025-02-03T06:13:53ZengWileyCase Reports in Medicine1687-96271687-96352014-01-01201410.1155/2014/235756235756Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature SummaryNorman Stone0Mara Karamitopoulos1David Edelstein2Jenifer Hashem3James Tucci4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, 927 49th Street, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USADepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, 927 49th Street, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USADepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, 927 49th Street, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USADepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, 927 49th Street, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USADepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Maimonides Medical Center, 927 49th Street, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USABackground. Fracture resulting from household electric shock is uncommon. When it occurs, it is usually the result of a fall; however, electricity itself can cause sufficient tetany to produce a fracture. We present the case of bilateral fractures of the distal radii of a 12-year-old boy which were sustained after accidental shock. The literature regarding fractures after domestic electric shock is also reviewed. Methods. An Ovid-Medline search was conducted. The resultant articles and their bibliographies were surveyed for cases describing fractures resulting from a typical household-level voltage (110–220 V, 50–60 Hertz) and not a fall after the shock. Twenty-one articles describing 22 patients were identified. Results. Twenty-two cases were identified. Thirteen were unilateral injuries; 9 were bilateral. Proximal humerus fractures were most frequent (8 cases), followed by scapula fractures (7 cases), forearm fractures (4 cases), femoral neck fractures (2 cases), and vertebral body fracture (1 case). Eight of the 22 cases were diagnosed days to weeks after the injury. Conclusions. Fracture after electric shock is uncommon. It should be suspected in patients with persistent pain, particularly in the shoulder or forearm area. Distal radius fractures that occur during electrocution are likely due to tetany.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/235756 |
| spellingShingle | Norman Stone Mara Karamitopoulos David Edelstein Jenifer Hashem James Tucci Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary Case Reports in Medicine |
| title | Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary |
| title_full | Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary |
| title_fullStr | Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary |
| title_short | Bilateral Distal Radius Fractures in a 12-Year-Old Boy after Household Electrical Shock: Case Report and Literature Summary |
| title_sort | bilateral distal radius fractures in a 12 year old boy after household electrical shock case report and literature summary |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/235756 |
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