•  
  •  
 

Article Type

Review

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), four people are killed every week by electrocution in the last decade, while 3% of people (suffering from electrical injuries) were admitted to emergency wards. The severity of electric injury depends on the electrical resistance of the human body, which depends on several factors such as the long duration of electric contact, type of the current (AC or DC), intensity of the current (amperes/voltages), sites of entry and exit points, wet or dry body, individual metabolism of the person, sweat gland activity, human body mass, type of tissue it travels through and its resistance, the amount of lipids and fats in that tissue, and the general health of the person. Entry and exit sites of an electric current are confusing since the electric current changes direction many times during entering the body depending on the resistances of tissues and organs. The survival of the person depends solely on the efficiency and rapidity of medical treatment, especially as the liver is the first organ affected by an electric shock and should be evaluated first. In most cases, the liver showed portal vein thrombosis, biliary duct enlargements with the beginning of cholangitis (inflammation of a bile duct), and pneumobilia (presence of air bubbles in the biliary tree). The presence of air bubbles leads to inflammation and the presence of bacteria inside the biliary tree. The brain will not be affected by an electric shock unless the entry point was the head. Otherwise, an electric shock will daze the person or can cause short-term amnesia, respiratory arrest, or seizure, while the heart is sensitive to an electric shock that will disrupt the heart rhythm and burn soft tissues, and decrease blood pressure which affects electrolyte balance leading to the failure of the kidneys. The kidney is the only organ responsible for the removal of all damaged tissues of the skin and other organs of the body, which will put a heavy load on the functions of the kidneys, especially in the removal of all fatty deposits. It is very hard to diagnose the long-term effects of electric shock on the human body, but in general, the victim will experience eye problems, generalized pain, joint stiffness with itching. The victim will face psychological effects such as reduced cognitive abilities, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety.

Keywords

Lesions, synapses, cirrhosis, electric necrosis, entry and exit points.

Download

Share

COinS