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  • Helping the patient with electrical trauma

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    Damage to the human body by electric current of any voltage and origin is an electric trauma. Electricity is a common phenomenon and occurs in production, agriculture, transport, in everyday life and in nature( atmospheric electricity - lightning), while high and low voltage currents are used. Electrical injury occurs when touching uninsulated current sources, and when high-voltage current - even when approaching the current-carrying part. Low-voltage currents used in everyday life( 120 and 210 V) are no less dangerous, since they are in contact with a much larger number of people, with more frequent violations of safety rules. Electrical trauma can occur even with a short circuit or lightning strike near a person.

    One of the factors that increase the possibility of the appearance of electric trauma in contact with wires and electrical appliances is the weak resistance of the skin to the current( for example, the skin of a child or wet skin).Damage to the current of the same voltage can cause electrical injury of varying severity, since the duration of exposure to human beings, protection of overalls, skin moisture, etc. play an important role.

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    Passing through the human body, an electric current causes local and general damage to the body. The first can be found in the footsteps of the entrance and exit of current from the body, these traces are called electric signs, which, in fact, are burns of varying severity( usually of the third degree) and, as a rule, have a small circular shape with a central umbilical depression of grayish-whitecolors. Burns are accompanied by tissue necrosis on the surface and in the depths, sometimes the skin is even charred, there is usually no reaction around. If a person was struck by lightning, then on the skin you can find a "figure of lightning," which is a branching pattern of reddish color, arising from a hemorrhage or paralysis of blood vessels. Cases were noted when the injured current tore off limbs. Quite often, the shock to the victim ends in death. In this case, under the influence of current, two mechanisms of death are distinguished: in the first case, death comes from the appearance of cardiac fibrillation under the influence of weak currents, in the second - from the stopping of breathing under the influence of a high-voltage current.

    The general phenomena of electric trauma are manifested by a tetanic contraction of the entire musculature, which does not allow the victim to "detach" from the wiring. The victim's skin turns pale, a cyanotic shade appears, the victim loses consciousness, his breathing stops, and, eventually, paralysis of the heart occurs without assistance. By the way, the lack of breathing and pulse in case of electric shock are not always signs of the victim's death. In such cases, "imaginary death" comes: the breath stops, the pulse disappears, the heart tones are not listened. In electric trauma, imaginary death from the true is very difficult to distinguish, so it should always be remembered that with all the signs of death the patient can be saved by applying prolonged vigorous artificial respiration. Only the appearance of cadaveric stains and rigor mortis with electrotrauma gives the right to consider the victim dead.

    During the recovery period after receiving an electric shock, the general condition of the patient may worsen, manifested by disorders from the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Often, the necrosis of tissues develops, it would seem, with a slightly expressed reaction, and the process of lesion develops at a sufficiently large length, than one might assume immediately after the injury of the victim. When tearing away dead tissue bleeding is possible.

    First aid to the victim begins with the as soon as possible cessation of the effect of current on him, and care should be taken to ensure that the victim in a convulsive state does not fall off with a rapid current cut-off and does not receive an additional injury. Switch off the power source if you cut it( for example, with an ax or shovel with a wooden handle, have a snack with scissors that have insulation on the handles).If the current source can not be turned off, the victim should be removed from it. Since this process is rather complicated, the caretaker can suffer from the current itself, so he must protect himself: put on rubber gloves, use a wooden stick( tree branch, etc.) to push the victim away from the current source, and drygaloshes, a dry board will help it to be isolated from the earth - a good conductor of an electric current. Rubber gloves and galoshes, a wooden branch and a board are bad current conductors.

    If the above items are not at hand, then you can wrap your hands with a woolen shawl.

    After the victim has been released from the source of the current, if he is unconscious, immediately perform an artificial respiration, sometimes this procedure takes 3-4 hours or more. It is carried out until the victim begins to breathe independently. Stop the artificial ventilation of the lungs when the corpse stains appear on the victim's body. To stimulate the activity of the respiratory center, it is recommended to inject carbogen subcutaneously or to give a sniff of ammonia. The rubbing and warming of the victim's body are good.

    For the maintenance of cardiac activity, it is recommended to inject camphor, caffeine, digalen, intravenous - strophanthin, in severe cases - adrenaline in the heart.

    First aid for electric trauma in the health center at the enterprise can be carried out using artificial respiration with the help of special devices, affect the fibrillation of the heart with single discharges of a special apparatus, arrange intra-arterial blood transfusions.

    Bleeding with subsequent blood transfusions is prescribed with pronounced cyanosis.

    Lumbar puncture is given when meningeal phenomena occur.

    Treatment of the victim from an electric current should be spent in the conditions of a hospital as there is a possibility of occurrence of secondary pathological frustration, in some cases demanding a considerable enough time. In the hospital, the victim is given oxygen inhalation, glucose administration, copious drinking, paralysis and other nervous system disorders are treated.

    Treatment of burns from electrical injuries is performed in the same way as thermal burns.

    Lightning attack is similar to the electric shock of high frequency and voltage, so in many cases, as a result of lightning, a person dies instantly. On the skin there are characteristic bands of red color, on the entry and exit points of the discharge edges are burned. Symptoms and methods of providing first aid are the same as for electric trauma. In more mild cases, the victim is assigned to bed rest for three days, cardiac funds, soothing drugs, warmth.

    A popular way of treating a victim of lightning is to bury the victim in the ground. This is not recommended, since it is possible to put the infection in the wounds, and also in this position the breathing of the patient becomes more difficult.