Electrical burns

Electrical burns differ from thermal or chemical burns in that they cause much more subdermal . As the widespread use of electricity and injuries from it increase, all health professionals involved in burn care must appreciate the physiologic and pathologic effects and management of electric current injury. As either the current or its arc causes these injuries , an understanding of some fundamental laws . Adult electrical injuries usually occur in occupational settings, whereas children are primarily injured in the household setting. The spectrum of electrical injury is broa ranging from minimal injury .

They encompass several types, as follows: lightning injury, high-voltage injury, and low-voltage injury.

The damage may be worse than one would expect from the burn on the skin.

Authoritative facts about the skin from DermNet New Zealand Trust. Temporary or permanent damage can occur to the skin, tissues, and major organs. Extent of the damage depends on the strength and duration of the electrical current.

Promotes safe work with electricity and electrical systems. It is important to establish the type of exposure (high or low voltage), duration of contact, and concurrent trauma. Electrical Injuries Treatment When to Seek Medical Care for Electrical Injuries For More Information on Electrical Injuries.

Read more about symptoms, first ai and treatment for high voltage injuries. Aim of treatment is to achieve skin cover to prevent infection and to allow early mobilization. But the burn may be more serious if tissues along the path of the electrical current are damaged. All the damage from these burns might not be seen for up to days after the burn.

There might be burns where the electrical current enters the body and also where it leaves the body. The severity can vary from first- to third-degree burns. In adults, injuries are usually work-related.

In children, injuries often result from household accidents. When electricity comes in contact with your body, it can travel through your body. When this happens, the electricity can damage tissues and organs.

This article overviews electrical injuries and damage that can happen not just externally, such as burns or amputations, but also internal injuries. Even low voltage shocks can have an affect on your body such as skin sensitivity and memory loss. They include burns and damage to organs, bones, muscles, and nerves. Symptoms range from skin burns , damage to internal organs and other soft tissues to cardiac arrhythmias and respiratory arrest.

Electrical injury is damage caused by generated electrical current passing through the body. Diagnosis is based on history, clinical criteria, and selective laboratory testing. Entrance Wound: High resistance of skin transforms electrical energy into heat, which produces burns around the entrance point (dark spot in center of wound).

This man was lucky, the current narrowly missed his spinal cord. A burn is classified as electrical burn , if the electricity is the direct cause of the burn. Know the causes, signs, symptoms, types, first ai treatment, pathophysiology and healing time of . INTRODUCTION The term electrical burn is used widely to describe the variety of injuries created by supraphysiologic electrical energy interacting with living tissue. Although thermal burns remain some of the most common of such an interaction, this term does not adequately describe the range of effects that they .