Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Electrical Injuries
Number of Conditions: 1
Electrical Burns
Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care
Category: Trauma and Injuries
Sub-category: Electrical Injuries
Symptoms:
burns at entry and exit points; muscle pain; numbness or tingling; arrhythmias; seizures; loss of consciousness
Root Cause:
Damage to tissues caused by electrical current passing through the body, generating heat and causing burns or other internal injuries.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical assessment of visible burns, ECG for arrhythmias, imaging (CT or MRI) for internal injuries, and blood tests to assess rhabdomyolysis.
Treatment:
Immediate removal from the electrical source, resuscitation if needed, wound care, hydration to prevent kidney damage from rhabdomyolysis, and monitoring for cardiac issues.
Medications:
Pain management with acetaminophen or ibuprofen , muscle relaxants for spasms, and antibiotics if wounds become infected.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Electrical injuries are relatively rare, accounting for about 1,000 fatalities annually in the U.S., with thousands more injured.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Occupational hazards (e.g., electricians), contact with live wires or lightning strikes, and unsafe handling of electrical devices.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Outcomes depend on the voltage and duration of contact; low-voltage injuries often heal well, while high-voltage injuries can be fatal or disabling.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Arrhythmias, nerve damage, compartment syndrome, rhabdomyolysis, and multi-organ failure in severe cases.