Post by SpyderLady on Jun 12, 2007 2:09:13 GMT -6
Historically, lightning has been viewed as a sign of the anger of the gods from Greek and Norse mythology, and, as such, many myths have arisen regarding the risk, care, and outcome from lightning injuries. Much of our early colonial understanding of electricity and conduction came from the experiments of Benjamin Franklin playing with a kite in a thunderstorm.
Nearly 8 million lightning flashes occur every day worldwide. While only a small percentage cause property damage, and an even smaller percentage cause a risk of human injury, when lightning does strike, it captures the attention of the public, the news media, and the medical profession.
It is estimated that 1000-2000 persons are struck by lightning every year in the United States. Approximately 150-300 lightning-related fatalities occur per year, making lightning strikes the second most common cause of death from isolated environmental or natural phenomena. In environmental injuries, only floods cause more human death. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 100 of every 500 fatalities caused by electricity are the result of lightning strikes. Although lightning injuries are related to common electrical injuries, significant differences exist in the pathophysiology and injury patterns, and these factors must be considered to provide the best possible care to persons with lightning injuries.
Problem: While rare, serious lightning injuries are likely to primarily cause cardiac and neurologic injury. Otologic injury and cutaneous burns have also been noted as frequent sequelae of these events. Cataract formation resulting from lightning injury typically occurs within days to weeks of injury. This complication has been reported as late as 2 years afterward but commonly occurs within the first week.
The injuries differ from those resulting from high-voltage direct current because lightning injuries usually do not cause significant tissue destruction along the path of grounding of the current. Lightning strikes are usually diffuse and do not commonly cause injuries similar to those received from 110-volt or 220-volt electrical currents. Blunt physical injury is much more likely to accompany lightning injuries when compared to electrical injuries, so medical personnel should also screen lightning victims for occult blunt trauma.
Because a strike can be variable and diffusely spread over the body, most authors characterize lightning injuries as mild, moderate, or severe.
* Mild injury is rarely associated with superficial burns, but persons struck often report loss of consciousness, amnesia, confusion, tingling, and numerous other nonspecific symptoms. Lightning burns are invariably superficial and have little or no deep tissue damaging effects.
* Moderate injury may cause seizures, respiratory arrest, or cardiac standstill, which spontaneously resolves with resumption of normal cardiac activity. Much of the symptomatology mirrors that of mild injury, except superficial burns are much more common, both initially and in a delayed fashion. These patients may have lifelong symptoms of irritability, sleep disorders, and paresthesias.
* Patients with severe injury usually present with cardiopulmonary arrest, which is often complicated by a prolonged period in which they did not receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This delay is attributable to the fact that these individuals are often in an isolated location when injured. Survival is rare in this group unless a bystander expeditiously begins CPR.
Nearly 8 million lightning flashes occur every day worldwide. While only a small percentage cause property damage, and an even smaller percentage cause a risk of human injury, when lightning does strike, it captures the attention of the public, the news media, and the medical profession.
It is estimated that 1000-2000 persons are struck by lightning every year in the United States. Approximately 150-300 lightning-related fatalities occur per year, making lightning strikes the second most common cause of death from isolated environmental or natural phenomena. In environmental injuries, only floods cause more human death. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 100 of every 500 fatalities caused by electricity are the result of lightning strikes. Although lightning injuries are related to common electrical injuries, significant differences exist in the pathophysiology and injury patterns, and these factors must be considered to provide the best possible care to persons with lightning injuries.
Problem: While rare, serious lightning injuries are likely to primarily cause cardiac and neurologic injury. Otologic injury and cutaneous burns have also been noted as frequent sequelae of these events. Cataract formation resulting from lightning injury typically occurs within days to weeks of injury. This complication has been reported as late as 2 years afterward but commonly occurs within the first week.
The injuries differ from those resulting from high-voltage direct current because lightning injuries usually do not cause significant tissue destruction along the path of grounding of the current. Lightning strikes are usually diffuse and do not commonly cause injuries similar to those received from 110-volt or 220-volt electrical currents. Blunt physical injury is much more likely to accompany lightning injuries when compared to electrical injuries, so medical personnel should also screen lightning victims for occult blunt trauma.
Because a strike can be variable and diffusely spread over the body, most authors characterize lightning injuries as mild, moderate, or severe.
* Mild injury is rarely associated with superficial burns, but persons struck often report loss of consciousness, amnesia, confusion, tingling, and numerous other nonspecific symptoms. Lightning burns are invariably superficial and have little or no deep tissue damaging effects.
* Moderate injury may cause seizures, respiratory arrest, or cardiac standstill, which spontaneously resolves with resumption of normal cardiac activity. Much of the symptomatology mirrors that of mild injury, except superficial burns are much more common, both initially and in a delayed fashion. These patients may have lifelong symptoms of irritability, sleep disorders, and paresthesias.
* Patients with severe injury usually present with cardiopulmonary arrest, which is often complicated by a prolonged period in which they did not receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This delay is attributable to the fact that these individuals are often in an isolated location when injured. Survival is rare in this group unless a bystander expeditiously begins CPR.
wow! that was too close!