According to a 2004 article in "IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering," the accepted explanation for injuries related to electrical shock is cellular rupture caused by an electrical field. At times the severity and locations of injuries caused by electric shock defy explanation, however. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that the appearance of electric shock on the skin may seem minor, even when underlying tissues and organs have sustained major damage. The center estimates that electrical injuries result in 1,000 deaths per year in the United States.
Burns
The New York University Langone Medical Center explains that three types of burns can occur with electrical shock: first-degree burns involving the skin only, second-degree burns affecting the skin and underlying areas and third-degree burns involving deep-lying tissues, muscles and organs. The University of Illinois at Chicago states that the worst burns occur around the areas where electricity enters and leaves the body.
Muscle, Nerve and Tissue Damage
The degree of damage to muscles, nerves and tissues depends on the route of the electricity through the body, the health and condition of the victim and the amount of electricity, or voltage, of the shock. UMMC explains that as the current of electricity passes through the body, it destroys tissue in its path. According to UIC, muscle, nerves and blood vessels are the best conductors of electricity in the body. Symptoms of muscle, nerve and tissue damage can include seizure, bone fracture, confusion, amnesia, muscle pain and contractures, impaired vision and headache.
Cardiac and Respiratory Arrest
In patients who receive a massive electrical shock, as in a lightning strike, electrocution may cause asystole, or the stopping of the heart. UIC reports that the main cause of death in electrocutions is cardiac and respiratory arrest. Electric shock can also cause damage to the central nervous system, which affects respiration. UIC maintains that the heart may restart itself, but respiratory arrest usually lasts longer and may cause a second cardiac arrest. Symptoms may include breathing difficulties or lack of breathing, unconsciousness, lack of pulse or unusual pulse and chest pain.
References
- "IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering"; Diffuse Electrical Injury: A Study of 89 Subjects Reporting Long-Term Symptomatology That Is Remote to the Theoretical Current Pathway.; M.S. Morse, et al; August 2004
- New York University Langone Medical Center: Electrical Burns
- University of Illinois at Chicago: Electrical and Lightning Injuries
