Background and objective.

High voltaje electrical burns in our country, Paraguay, are a public health problem because of their high incidence when compared with other countries. As most of the affected patients are adult men at work, we felt the responsability to avoid as most as posible amputation cases.

Due to this problematic, we began in our Plastic Surgery Unit to repair peripheral nerves in upper limbs with initial bad prognostic.

Methods.

We describe 3 patients with high voltaje electrical burns afecting upper limb soft tissues, nerves and tendons. After vital support, serial debridement and reconstruction using inguinal flap, nerve reconstruction was conducted 3 months after the initial injury.

Results.

In spite of the great damage, sural nerve grafts were effective in the 3 patients, who recovered at least protective sensibility in medial and cubital áreas. Nerve reconstruction was completed with other grafts, tendinous tranfers and phisitoterapy to optimize hand function.

Conclusions.

Our 3 patients recovered their usual dayly activi- ties after reconstruction.

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