Present medical technology may not detect an injury when a person has symptoms of pain or functional disability following a sub-thermal injury. © Paphawin – stock.adobe.com.
Finding the right support system is essential for electrical shock survivors.
By Nallely Ramirez, Contributor
With the prevalence of technology in our everyday lives increasing, the risk of exposure to electrical injury increases, especially for those working in industries that provide and maintain electrical power distribution. Discussions with survivors of electrical injury often face challenges that go beyond the limitations and symptoms caused by the injury. Specifically, electrical shock is often a complex multiphysical injury resulting from damage caused by either electrical force effects, Ohmic heating, dielectric heating, or all combined. The anatomical distribution of the injury caused by current passing through the body is quite non-uniform and dependent on the anatomical position of the person during the electrical shock. Superimposed on this is symptoms of electrical injury may change over time, particularly if the injury involves the nervous system.
Thus, the electrically injured patient today may manifest problems that are not well understood by the medical profession. The physiology of the human body is indeed very complex. Medical research has made great strides due to public investment, but physicians and scientists will be the first to point out that medicine has a long way to go before it understands everything about how the human body works and adapts to injury. Fortunately, the body can often adapt and self-repair after brief electrical shocks that don’t involve major heat damage. However, regarding the potential for healing and adaptation, there is variation from person to person due to the many influencing factors that are involved during injury.
PRESENT MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY MAY NOT DETECT INJURIES
Medical professionals, and the health insurance system in advanced countries works very well for most conditions. However, present medical technology may not detect an injury when a person has symptoms of pain or functional disability following a sub-thermal (i.e. no deep burn) injury, This can be a source of intense frustration for the shock survivor.
Furthermore, with newer electrical power systems, like switching power sources or microwave transmission, the injury patterns are likely to be more complex with the effect of frequency on current distribution “skin-depth” and how the electrical forces affect cells in the tissues. At higher-frequencies, rapidly changing magnetic field induction currents can, in theory, become problematic. This is now thought to be a problem for lightning strike survivors. And, in theory, a possible injury for individuals sitting within a vehicle during a brief exposure to a magnetic pulse when a live powerline briefly transmits current through the vehicle. Considerable work needs to be done in this area to prepare the medical and health insurance community for caring for individuals that experience these complex injury patterns.
ELECTRICAL SHOCK SURVIVORS NAVIGATE COMPLEX SITUATIONS
From medical to professional challenges, electrical shock survivors have to navigate complex and difficult situations post-injury. Finding the right support for addressing these challenges is essential. It is also crucial that injury avoidance efforts are made by adhering to safe work policies by both employers and workers.
In addition, a healthy, well-conditioned body, is more likely to tolerate stress and injury than one that is in poor health. This highlights the importance of maintaining one’s health in order to mitigate the severity of injury. But even with prevention efforts, injuries may still occur and electrical workers should advocate for the necessary support to effectively manage the challenges encountered after an electrical injury. ESW
Nallely Ramirez, represents the Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute (CETRI). CETRI is a non-profit organization that works to develop diagnostic tools and methods for more effective therapies for electrical injury survivors through multidisciplinary research, clinical care, and educational outreach. Learn more at www.cetri.org.
References
Occupational Electrical Injury and Safety. Chen, C.-T., Lee, R.C., Shih, J.-X., and Zhong, M.-H. Eds., Annals of the New York Acad. of Science, Vol. 888, 1999
Lee, R.C. “Injury by Electrical Forces: Pathophysiology, Manifestations and Therapy“. Current Problems in Surgery 34(9): 677-765, 1997.