Effects of Electrical Injury
| Feature | Lightning | High voltage | Low voltage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voltage, V | >30×106 | >1000 | <600 |
| Current, A | >200,000 | <1000 | <240 |
| Duration | Instantaneous | Brief | Prolonged |
| Type of current | DC | DC or AC | Mostly AC |
| Cardiac arrest | Asystole | Ventricular fibrillation | Ventricular fibrillation |
| Respiratory arrest | Direct CNS injury | Indirect trauma or titanic contraction respiratory muscles | Tetanic contraction of respiratory muscles |
| Muscle contraction | Single | Single (DC), tetanic (AC) | Tetanic |
| Burns | Rare, superficial | Common, deep | Usually superficial |
| Rhabdomyolysis | Uncommon | Very common | Common |
| Blunt injury (cause) | Blast effect (shock wave) | Fall (muscle contraction) | Fall (uncommon) |
| Acute mortality | Very high | Moderate | Low |
AC, alternating current; CNS, central nervous system; DC, direct current.
Source: Koumbourlis AC (2002) Electrical injuries. Crit Care Med 30, S424–30. Reproduced with permission of Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.