Abstract
Electrical burn injuries occur worldwide and constitute 5–10% of all occupational fatalities. An analysis of human factors contributing to electrocutions has shown that carelessness is a major contributor. The management of these acute wounds has progressed over time, with the emphasis changing from a conservative approach to wound closure, then to the more aggressive doctrine of improving the functional and aesthetic outcome of the patients [1]. Factors that determine the type and extent of electrical burn injuries include voltage and current flow [1,2]. The spectrum of anatomic sites involved from electrical trauma is quite varied. The head is not a usual contact or entry point in high-tension burns but if involved, lips, nose and commissures may be affected. Young children usually aged between 1 and 3 years are frequent victims of electric burns of the lips [3]. It is rarely seen in adults. Several options are available for reconstruction of lips according to the extent of injury. Subtotal lip reconstruction can be performed using local flaps such as cross-lip and fan flaps. Total lip reconstructive efforts usually are suboptimal in providing an adequate oral sphincter, an acceptable aesthetic result or both. For total upper, lower or extensive combined soft-tissue defects that include both lips, traditional methods of reconstruction include the use of regional flaps such as the deltopectoral flap [4,5]. A more recent application is the use of the folded forearm flap to replace both the skin and inner lining, simultaneously, in full-thickness cheek and lip defects [6].
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