Chapter 11: Electrical and Lightning Injuries

Flashcards about electrical and lightning injuries

High voltage (AC)

1000 Volts

Low voltage (AC)

50 to 1000 Volts

Construction Industry Electrocution Fatalities

60% of all electrocution deaths

Lightning Deaths Per Year in US

Approximately 50

Three elements for electrical injury

Charged electrical source, current pathway, ground

Good Grounds

Metal water pipes, metal electrical conduits, metal parts of outlets/fixtures, radiators, metal drains, grounded appliances

Ampere

Amount of current in a circuit

Voltage

Strength of current through a circuit

Watts

Electrical power released by a circuit per second

Electric chair voltage

2000-2200 AC

Electric chair amperes

7-12 amperes

Household wiring voltage

120 Volts

Mechanism of death in low-voltage electrocution

Ventricular fibrillation

Why are electrocutions more common in warm months?

Skin is moist with sweat and less resistant to electrical currents; less clothing

Electrical burns and current flow

Examination of a burn does NOT permit determination of direction of flow

Electrical burns vs thermal burns

Indistinguishable if occurred during life

Fatal lightning strikes (2006-2019)

418

Percentage of male lightning strike victims

79%

Peak months for lightning strikes

June, July, August

Lethality of lightning strikes

Only half of strikes are fatal

Lightning

A natural high-voltage electrical discharge of direct current (DC) in the atmosphere

Lightning Strike Voltage

10 to 100 Million Volts

Lightning Strike Amperes

10,000 to 100,000 Amperes

Lightning Strike Temperature

15,000 to 50,000 Degrees

Duration of a lightning strike

Less than one ten-thousandth of a second

Lightning injury mechanisms

Direct strike, side flash, ground strike, contact

CPR and Lightning Victims

Can revive a person apparently killed by lightning

Touching a landline during a lightning storm

Can be fatal if lightning strikes utility lines

Rubber soles and lightning

Provide no insulation against lightning

Electro-Muscular Device (EMD)

Taser - 30,000 volts of electricity causing severe pain and muscle contractions