Pediatric Electrical Injuries in the Emergency Department: An Evidence-Based Review

Points & Pearls Excerpt

• Electrical exposures include low-voltage (<1000 V), high-voltage (>1000 V), and lightning injuries. Each pose different consequences as a result of varying current, voltage, and duration of contact time (see Table 2), so it is important to gather as much history as possible to help guide management.
• Consider an electrical source in patients found injured or unresponsive near a power source or open field, or if a suspicious injury is present such as an entry/exit burn, Lichtenberg figure, ruptured tympanic membrane, or oral commissure burn. (See Table 3.)
• Patients may have injuries from the electrical source or secondary to the initial event that necessitate a full trauma evaluation and/or burn center referral.