Electric Shock - Conduction of Current To and Through the Human Body

Understanding how electric current reaches and travels through the body can help us understand how and why specific accidents might occur and what medical and surgical problems may be expected.

This article, published by Open Access Journal of Plastic Surgery does an amazing job. It was written by Raymond M. Fish and Leslie A. Geddes with the objective of explaining the ways in which electric current is conducted to and through the human body, and how this influences the nature of injuries.

Part A first reviews electrical and pathophysiological principles. There are discussions of how electric current is conducted through the body via air, water, earth, and man-made conductive materials. There are discussions of skin resistance (impedance), internal body resistance, current path through the body, the let-go phenomenon, skin breakdown, electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles and nerves, cardiac dysrhythmias and arrest, and electric shock drowning.

Part B considers specific types of accidents. It discusses a number of clinically relevant examples of accident mechanisms and their medical effects. Topics related to high-voltage burns include ground faults, ground potential gradient, step and touch potentials, arcs, and lightning.

To read the article, click here or on the image above.

Mike Holt's Comment: This is an excellent article related to Electric Shock and Electrocution. Please take the time to read this!

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Comments

Mike, this reminds me of when Jim sat on our video panel. He warned us many years ago that stray current in fresh water was always more deadly than salt water.

The requirement for 24 hour observation under hospital conditions is also a most important factor. As the white paper points out, small relatively unnoticeable entry and exit wounds may not be indicative of deep tissue or organ damage. We must not forget that our bodies are already a massive network of electrical pathways through our nervous system. An easy path for outside current to use. Add the fact that current flow through our circulatory system and the resultant electron exchange between blood cells, can lead to clots (embolisms) that travel through our veins and lodge in the lungs, brain or heart.

All in all, we need to respect the effects of current flow through or on our skin, and take precautions to prevent it.

John Travers

John Travers April 22 2017, 4:26 pm EDT
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Reply from: bob April 23 2017, 11:12 am EDT
This leads me to believe that resultant deaths from voltage gradients may be higher than reported. Over the years there has been much confusion about what a ground is. The ground is always a reference point but it may not be zero to other reference points. Think of the hot chassis of the old vacuum tube radios. The GND symbol was used for connections to that chassis which had a killing voltage gradient to someone sitting in the bath tub. Many were indeed killed by placing this radio on the edge of the bath tub while they were in the tub water. Lightning does not have to "strike" someone to kill. The earth voltage gradient between the feet can do that. The old fly back transformers of the cathode tube television were also silent killers. Power lines have induced gradients in the ground below resulting in reduced milk production in cows. Do not assume if it is on the ground the voltage is zero.
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