Lightning Injury
Lightning strikes kill between 150 and 300 people a year in the United States (more than most other natural disasters combined). Lightning is a form of DIRECT CURRENT (DC), unlike ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) used in our homes. The voltage from lightning may vary between 103 million to 2 billion volts, with the current ranging anywhere from 2,000 to 300,000 amps. Duration of exposure [to the lightning] is a key factor in the degree of injury. Lightning injuries differ from electrical injuries, in that most of the electricity from an electrical injury travels through the body, causing deeper tissue damage. Lightning, with its overwhelming power, tends to travel "outside" the body, burning the skin where it may be wet. For this reason, there are usually no entrance and exit wounds that are typically present with electrical injuries.
There are several different ways of describing lightning injuries yet, a "direct strike" probably accounts for the largest percentage of deaths. The most common cause of death is cardiac arrest. The massive electrical discharge disrupts all normal cardiac activity.
COMPLICATIONS OF LIGHTNING INJURY
1. THERMAL BURNS - This occurs where the skin was wet, or due to metal jewelry that becomes super-heated by the electricity.
2. PARALYSIS - This is commonly a transient phenomenon that is rectified after several hours. Permanent neurologic deficits have been reported.
3. EYE INJURY - Injury to the eyes leads to development of cataracts at the time of injury or later.
4. EAR INJURY - More than half of lightning victims experience ear drum rupture (one or both sides).
5. FRACTURES - Occasionally, breaks of the clavicle (collar bone), skull, or long bones of the body occur.
ALL these patients require EMERGENCY medical evaluation.
Hope this article will provide you information about lightning injury.
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