Electrical injury

"Electric shock" redirects here. For other uses, see Electric Shock (disambiguation).
Electrical injury
Other namesElectrical shock
Lightning injury caused by a nearby lightning strike. The slight branching redness (sometimes called a Lichtenberg figure) travelling up the leg was caused by the effects of current.
SpecialtyEmergency medicine
ComplicationsBurns, rhabdomyolysis, cardiac arrest, bone fractures[1]
Frequency>30,000 per year (USA)[1]
Deaths~1,000 per year (USA)[1]

An electrical injury, (electric injury) or electrical shock (electric shock) is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current.[2][3]

The injury depends on the density of the current, tissue resistance and duration of contact.[4] Very small currents may be imperceptible or only produce a light tingling sensation. However, a shock caused by low and otherwise harmless current could startle an individual and cause injury due to jerking away or falling. A strong electric shock can often cause painful muscle spasms severe enough to dislocate joints or even to break bones. The loss of muscle control is the reason that a person may be unable to release themselves from the electrical source; if this happens at a height as on a power line they can be thrown off.[5][6] Larger currents can result in tissue damage and may trigger ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest.[7] If death results from an electric shock the cause of death is generally referred to as electrocution.

Electric injury occurs upon contact of a body part with electricity that causes a sufficient current to pass through the person's tissues. Contact with energized wiring or devices is the most common cause. In cases of exposure to high voltages, such as on a power transmission tower, direct contact may not be necessary as the voltage may "jump" the air gap to the electrical device.[8]

Following an electrical injury from household current, if a person has no symptoms, no underlying heart problems, and is not pregnant further testing is not required.[9] Otherwise an electrocardiogram, blood work to check the heart, and urine testing for signs of muscle breakdown may be performed.[9]

Management may involve resuscitation, pain medications, wound management, and heart rhythm monitoring.[9] Electrical injuries affect more than 30,000 people a year in the United States and result in about 1,000 deaths.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Zemaitis MR, Foris LA, Lopez RA, Huecker MR (January 2020). "Electrical Injuries". StatPearls [Internet]. PMID 28846317.
  2. ^ "Electrical injury: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  3. ^ Boon, Elizabeth; Parr, Rebecca; 20,000Dayananda, Samarawickrama (2012). Oxford Handbook of Dental Nursing. Oxford University Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0191629860. Archived from the original on 2017-03-06.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Reilly 1998, p. 1
  5. ^ "Electrical injuries – Electrical safety". www.hse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  6. ^ Leslie Alexander Geddes, Rebecca A. Roeder ,Handbook of Electrical Hazards and Accidents Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company, 2006 ISBN 0913875449, page 29
  7. ^ Gentges, Joshua; Schieche, Christoph (November 2018). "Electrical injuries in the emergency department: an evidence-based review". Emergency Medicine Practice. 20 (11): 1–20. ISSN 1559-3908. PMID 30358379.
  8. ^ "Introduction to electrical safety – HSE". www.hse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Electrical Injuries – Injuries; Poisoning". Merck Manuals Professional Edition. Retrieved 9 May 2020.