825 Electrical Injuries as a Result of Solar Panels: A New Trend
Abstract Introduction Solar panels are associated with a number of potential injuries from manufacturing through installation. Among these are electrical injuries, which increased in frequency with the recent increase in the production of photovoltaic panels. The burn literature is currently limited regarding these injuries, the aim of this study was to summarize our institutional experience with electrical injuries from solar panels. Methods A retrospective review of all electrical injuries evaluated at an ABA verified Burn Center from 2014–2018 was performed. Electrical burns unrelated to solar were excluded from analysis. Data collected included demographics, injury severity, and associated morbidity and mortality. Results A total of 39 electrical burns were treated during the study duration, 5 of which (13%) were related to solar panel production or installation. Two patients were burned while working in a solar factory, two while installing solar panels, and one while cleaning solar panels. The average age was 29 years (range 20–47) and all were male. All patients had < 5% TBSA; 1 patient had burns to the face, 1 had burns to the foot, 2 patients had burns to the hand/finger, and 1 patient had burns including the hands, abdomen, and thigh. One patient developed v-fib following his injury. He had a prolonged hospital stay of 74 days complicated by pneumonia, encephalitis, and acute kidney injury with rhabdomyolysis causing compartment syndrome of the hand which required fasciotomy. When excluding this outlier, the average length of stay was 2 days and none required ICU care. One patient required toe amputations and one presented with corneal abrasions, but no other significant complications including cardiac arrhythmias. All 5 patients survived. Conclusions Electrical burns from solar panels make up a significant proportion of electrical burns cared for at our institution. With the recent and continued rise in solar panel production and installation, burn centers should expect to see an increase in patients presenting with electrical burns associated with these products, especially in states seeing a greater push to adopt this technology. Applicability of Research to Practice Burn center staff should be aware of this emerging pattern and prepared to care for the patient injured though this mechanism.