What Are Electrical Burns?

Refers to the extensive damage of the human body and the skin, subcutaneous tissues, deep muscles, blood vessels, nerves, bones and joints, and internal organs caused by current through the human body to produce thermoelectric, electrophysiological, electrochemical, and arcing and electric sparks.

Basic Information

English name

electric burn

Visiting department

Emergency Department

Common causes

Electrical contact

Common symptoms

Nausea, palpitations, dizziness, or transient disturbances of consciousness; severe coma, breathing, sudden cardiac arrest, and current passing through the body have "inlet" and "exit"

Causes of electric burns

Electrical contact.

Clinical manifestations of electric burns

Systemic damage

The mild person has nausea, palpitations, dizziness, or a short-term disturbance of consciousness; the severe person is comatose, breathing, and cardiac arrest, but can be recovered if rescued in time.

Local damage

There are "inlet" and "exit" for the current to pass through the human body. The entrance is heavier than the exit. The entrance is often charred, forming rifts or caves, and the burns often reach deep into the muscles, tendons, and bones. The extent of damage is usually small outside and large inside; superficial tissues are acceptable, but deep tissues can be sandwiched and necrotic without obvious necrotic levels; local exudation is heavier than general burns, including edema in the fascia cavity; due to damage to adjacent blood vessels, it often appears Progressive necrosis, the range of post-injury necrosis can be expanded several times. In the current path, "jump" wounds can appear on the elbows, axillary or knee, thigh and other flexion.

Electric shock was manifested as pale, dizzy, transient loss of consciousness, etc. In severe cases, electric shock was present. If current passes through the heart or brain, it can cause heartbeat and breathing to stop.

Common clinical manifestations include entrances and exits, which are often oval in shape, and are generally limited to the areas where the conductors contact, but the actual damage is deeper, reaching muscles, bones, or internal organs, and more severe at the entrance. Appearance is partially yellowish brown or brownish. In severe cases, the tissue is completely charred, solidified, the edges are neat, dry, and the pain is mild in the early stage. The edema is not obvious, but after 24 to 48 hours, inflammation and obvious edema appear in the surrounding tissues. The surrounding skin of electric burns is often burned by electric sparks or clothing on fire, and it is usually deep burns. After the current passes through the skin, it quickly moves along body fluids and blood vessels (the blood contains electrolytes and is easy to conduct electricity), which causes damage to adjacent tissues and vessel walls, degeneration and thrombosis. Progressive tissue necrosis began to occur about a week after the injury, and the wound expanded and deepened. In severe cases, there are often groups of muscle gangrene; or major bleeding due to rupture of blood vessels.

Electric burn treatment

On-site first aid

Immediately cut off the power, or use a non-conductive object to remove the power. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be performed for patients with respiratory or cardiac arrest; ECG monitoring should also be taken after resuscitation.

2. Liquid resuscitation

The amount of fluid replacement cannot be calculated based on the surface burn area, and deep tissue damage should be fully estimated.

3. Special attention should be paid to incision and reduction during debridement, including decompression of fascia.

4. Early use of larger doses of antibiotics throughout the body (optional penicillin)

Due to deep tissue necrosis of oxygen supply obstacles, special attention should be paid to anaerobic infection, local exposure should be carried out, hydrogen peroxide solution rinsed, wet dressing. Tetanus antitoxin injection is an absolute indication.

Electric burn prevention

Avoid electrical contact.