31/198. Focal lingual dystonia, urinary incontinence, and sensory deficits secondary to low voltage electrocution: case report and literature review. Electrocution injuries are well reported in review articles and cases of high voltage electrocution injury are abundant. However, reports of low voltage electrocution injury are few. A case is presented of low voltage shock from a 120 volt AC source with presentation, acute and chronic course, and a five year follow up. The patient experienced several unusual complications of low voltage electrocution: a persistent right tongue deviation, which initially presents as an isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy, but subsequently manifests as a focal lingual dystonia; total body paresthesia with urinary incontinence; and persistent sensory deficits to the face and tongue. ( info) |
32/198. Severe hypokalemia as a cause of acute transient paraplegia following electrical shock. Transient lower extremity paralysis has been previously reported following high voltage electrical injury. The following case report describes an unusual presentation of transient acute flaccid lower extremity paralysis following a high voltage electrical injury associated with profound hypokalemia and acid/base abnormalities similar to the periodic paralysis syndrome. The patient's symptoms resolved with correction of severe hypokalemia. Potential mechanisms for a metabolic neuromuscular disorder induced by electrical injury are proposed. ( info) |
33/198. Ocular manifestations of electrical injury: a case report and review of the literature. PURPOSE: To report a case of electrical shock resulting in multiple ocular manifestations, including anisocoria, acute bilateral iritis, bilateral cataracts, and macular cyst formation, and to provide a review of the literature on electrically induced ocular injuries. methods: Case report and review of the literature. RESULTS: The case presented demonstrates a sequential occurrence of anisocoria, bilateral cataract formation, iritis, and macular cyst formation, with resolution following medical and surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Electrically induced injuries can have many ocular manifestations that may occur simultaneously or sequentially, occasionally occurring later than the inciting event. The most common ocular finding is cataract formation. ( info) |
34/198. Stun gun injuries in the abuse and death of a seven-month-old infant. The author autopsied a seven-month-old infant who was shocked repeatedly with a stun gun by his foster mother, in an attempt by the foster mother to get the infant to stop crying. The stun gun injuries were round, well-circumscribed, erythematous macular lesions, which were found in pairs. The lesions were 2 in. apart, and were found to match the distance between the electrodes of the stun gun found in the foster mother's purse. Based on the electrical output of the stun gun, the small size of the infant, location of stun gun discharge, and the decreased resistance of the infant's skin, it can be concluded that the stun gun injury is responsible for the infant's death. ( info) |
35/198. Electrical injury as a possible cause of sick sinus syndrome. Electrical injury is a serious public health problem. heart is one of the most frequently affected organs. Electrical injury can cause life-threatening cardiac complications such as asystole, ventricular fibrillation, and myocardial rupture. In this case report, we present a 20-yr-old male patient with sick sinus syndrome that developed years after electrical injury. ( info) |
36/198. Accidental electrocution during autoeroticism: a shocking case. A case of atypical autoerotic death is described. An 18-year-old white man clad in two brassieres was found dead in his bedroom by his brother. Two wet green terry cloths were under the brassiere cups, connected to the house current via two metal washers and a bifid electrical cord. literature depicting nude women was found near the victim. autopsy revealed second-degree and third-degree burns of the mammary regions. Death was attributed to accidental self-electrocution. The authors will discuss typical and atypical forms of autoerotic death. ( info) |
| QUESTION: A 24-year-old patient of mine, who was 23 weeks pregnant at the time, suffered a minor electric shock while using her hair dryer. She said she felt the current in her right hand and she was wearing shoes. She was observed in an emergency room for several hours and then discharged home. Is her pregnancy or fetus at risk now or later in the pregnancy? ANSWER: There are conflicting reports on how harmful electric shock is to a fetus. The clinical spectrum of electrical injury ranges from a transient unpleasant sensation felt by a mother and no effect on her fetus to fetal death either immediately or few days later. Several factors, such as the magnitude of the current and the duration of contact, are thought to affect outcome. In this case, it appears the current did not travel through her abdomen. Recommendations for fetal monitoring after electrocution have been published. ( info) |
38/198. Pacemaker failures characterized by continuous direct current leakage. pulse generator failure caused by continuous leakage of direct current through an output capacitor has not previously been appreciated. Routine post-explant electronic evaluation has identified the defect in six implanted and one external pulse generator. The constant direct current in the implantable units, 0.14 to 0.26 milliamperes, is in the range that produces ventricular arrhythmias in dogs although this did not occur in our patients. Evidence of local myocardial damage existed in four cases and of electrode deterioration in three. The implant failures occurred without warning and in four cases within 2 weeks of demonstrated normal function, blunting the predictive benefits of pacemaker monitoring programs. Capacitor discharge circuits used in many pacers are inherently capable of developing direct current leakage in the event of output capacitor short circuit. In one model of pacemakers such continuous direct current leakage caused 8.3 percent (3 of 36) of pulse generator failures, widely scattered in time at 23, 27 and 46 months after implant. Capacitor short circuit causing constant direct current leakage can masquerade as primary battery failure and should be suspected when cessation of pacer function is associated with increased threshold or poor myocardial electrogram without evidence of wire break or displacement. ( info) |
39/198. Cutaneous current marks due to a stun gun injury. Histological changes of the skin following electrical injury with a stun gun have rarely been described. We report the case of a 61-year-old man who died after having been tortured with a stun gun during a robbery. At autopsy two reddish, dot-like lesions where found on the chest and histological examination revealed electric current-related changes. Only a few reports concerning micromorphological cutaneous changes following stun gun injury have been reported; therefore further investigations concerning the frequency and type of histological findings due to stun gun injuries will be necessary in order to provide sufficient characteristic data for a conclusive interpretation. ( info) |
40/198. A case of electrocution during illegal fishing activities. The passage of electric current through the human body causes variable harm, ranging from loss of consciousness to death caused by paralysis of the bulbar nerve centers. This report describes a fatal case caused by an illegal fishing practice involving stunning fish with electric shocks produced by an electric generator carried through the water inside the carcass of an old refrigerator to keep it afloat. This occurrence is unusual because of the circumstances giving rise to the use of electric current and the cause of death, which resulted from the combination of the electric current produced by the generator and the saltwater, bringing about death by drowning. ( info) |