An electric burn occurs when an electrical current passes through the body, potentially causing damage to the skin, tissues, and organs. It can result from accidental contact with exposed wiring or appliances, lightning strikes, or occupational accidents. Low voltage burns under 1000V may cause blistering while high voltage burns can cause deep tissue damage and compartment syndrome. Symptoms range from numbness to cardiac arrest. Diagnosis involves assessing the burn depth. Management includes cutting the power source, emergency care for severe symptoms, IV fluids to prevent renal failure from rhabdomyolysis, and possible surgical debridement or amputation.

1. Electric burn

3. Electric Burn:
• Electrical burns and injuries are the result of
electrical currents passing through the body.
Temporary or permanent damage can occur to
the skin, tissues, and major organs.

4. Causes:
Accidental contact with exposed parts of electrical appliances, wiring, or
lightning strikes. May occur when:
• Children bite on electrical cords
• Utensils or other metal objects are
poked into electrical outlets or appliances.

5. Causes:
• The power supply is not shut down before making home repairs or
installation.
• A plugged-in appliance is dropped into water.
• Occupational accident.

6. Types of electrical injury:
1. Low voltage electric burn (<1000V):
May cause blisters and local tissue damage and may
or may not cause deep tissue damage. It may cause
cardiac arrest.
Example : home electrical appliances, car batteries

7. Types of electrical injury:
2. High voltage electric burn (>1000V):
It causes deep tissue damage. Due to deep muscle damage,
limbs become very swollen and tense on palpation which
eventually causes decrease in peripheral circulation and loss of
pulses, called compartment syndrome. Death can be caused by
respiratory arrest

8. Types of electric burn:
• Lightening : Burn injuries from lightening is
due to ultra high tension energy. When
lightening strikes the victim, chances of
mortality is very high. Cardio-respiratory

9. Symptoms:
• Numbness or tingling
• Weakness
• Headache
• Pain
• Feeling disoriented
• Lightheadedness because of low blood pressure
• Seizures
• Unconsciousness
• Visible burn on skin

10. Symptoms:
• Cardiac arrest
• Arrythmias : Many of them die of asystole at the site of injury due to
passage of electric current through the conducting system of the heart. If
they survive, they can have arrhythmia within the next 24 hours especially
if the patient has preexisting heart disease.
• Respiratory failure
• AC causes tetany of muscles of hand

12. Diagnosis:
• First-degree burns —Injury is only to the outer layer of skin.
They are red and painful, and may cause some swelling. The
skin turns white when touched.

13. • Second-degree burns —These burns are deeper and
more severe. They cause blisters and the skin is very
red or splotchy. There may be more significant
swelling.

14. • Third-degree burns —These cause damage to all layers
of the skin down to the tissue underneath. The burned
skin looks white or charred. These burns may cause
little or no pain because the nerves in the skin are
destroyed.

15. Test:
1. 12-lead ECG
- initial ECG must be done in all the patients to look for any cardiac
changes
- if ECG of any patient shows changes in ECG, continuous monitoring must
be done for at least 24 hrs.

16. 2. Blood tests : cardiac enzymes
3. Urine output
• damaged muscles release myoglobin  release myoglobin High load of
myoglobin is presented to glomeruli in the kidney  blocks the glomeruli and
causes renal failure

17. . Urine may be brick colored or dark red depending on the
concentration of myoglobin.
4. CT or MRI

18. Management:
• The source of power must be cut. Patient must be
taken to Emergency department of the hospital right
away.

19. Management:
• Severe symptoms require immediate care:
a loss of consciousness
seizures
difficulty in breathing or severe injury will need
emergency help. Those may be:
• Airway and breathing support
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• IV fluids to restore balance in the body

20. Fluid management:
• Fluid management must be especially be monitored because
of myoglobinuria:
The quantity of fluid administration must be titrated to
maintain an adequate urinary output.

21. • In adults, Ringer lactate solution is administered at a rate
sufficient to maintain a urinary output of 100 mL/hr.
In children: 2ml/kg/hr
• Mannitol is given 25gm 6 hourly for adults or 1gm/kg/day
• Alkalization of the urine :
Adding sodium bicarbonate to the IV fluid increases the
solubility and clearance rate of myoglobin in the urine .

22. Surgical management:
• Fasciotomy to salvage the limbs in case compartment
syndrome is developed.
• Amputation of the affected limb to save the patient’s
lives
• Several surgical debridement of the wound
• Eventually coverage of the defect or wound with skin
graft or various kinds of flap.

23. Thank you