Electrical Hazards

Course overview

Objectives Describe burn physiology and treating electrical burns Describe the basic concepts of electricity and laws of physics Explain the decision making process of transporting to burn centers Content Mortality Incidence of death 1 Morbidity New cases where death is not an outcome nonfatal injury 2 Years of Life Lost Subtract age of death from life expectancy 3 Deaths due to trauma in the United States 1 All external causes of mortality 2 Motor Vehicle Crashes 3 Pedestrian 4 Motorcycle 5 Falls 6 Mechanical forces struck by object machinery 7 Drowning 8 Electrical current 9 Intentional self harm 10 Assaults firearms 1 Burns 1 Electrical 1 Pathophysiology 1 Ohms Law role of voltage and resistance 2 Joules Law relationship between heat production current and resistance 3 Body tissues vary in type of resistance to current 4 Electrical current follows path of least resistance 5 Severity influenced by 1 type of voltage of circuit 2 amperage of current 3 resistance of the body 4 pathway of the current 5 duration of the current 6 Types of injury 1 thermal due to burning of clothing etc 2 arc type causes high skin temperature leading to burns 3 electrical injury as it travels through body it heats up causing tissue necrosis with entrance and exit wounds 2 Special assessment finding 1 Review previous knowledge 2 Cardiac arrest 3 Neuromuscular injuries 1 peripheral nerve deficit 2 muscle coordination and strength 4 Spinal cord involvement injury 3 Special management considerations 1 SCENE SAFETY 2 Cardiac arrest management 3 Cervical spine protection 4 IV fluids if hypotension is present 5 Transport to appropriate facility Electrical injury Lightening strikes 1 Pathophysiology 1 Pathophysiology similar to electrical burns 2 MOI 1 Direct strike 2 Side flash splash 3 Ground current or step voltage 4 Blunt trauma 5 Contact 3 Major problem is cardiorespiratory arrest massive DC countershock 4 May cause head trauma cardiac damage burns extremity vasospasm paresis or parethesias 2 Special Assessment considerations 1 Scene safety 2 Assess for cardiac arrest 3 Special management considerations 1 AVO 2 Cardiac arrest management 3 Burn wound care 4 Transport