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Medicina Legal de Costa Rica

On-line version ISSN 2215-5287Print version ISSN 1409-0015

Abstract

AVILA DARCIA, Sergio  and  SOLIS FLORES, William. Trauma Eléctrico. Med. leg. Costa Rica [online]. 2016, vol.33, n.1, pp.63-69. ISSN 2215-5287.

Electric trauma can occur by contact with an active electric wire or a lightning, being classified in low-voltage injuries for those under 1000V and high- voltage injuries for those over 1000V. It has a little despicable incidence being a frequent cause of injury from a natural phenomenon. Different factors including the type of current, resistance of the tissues, duration of contact, voltage, and environmental factors determine the severity and extent of the injuries that it produces. The tissues most commonly affected are the nerves, vessels, bones, muscle and skin being prevalent the burns, arrhythmias, paresthesia, and other damages to the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Despite having a low mortality, diffuse injury caused by electric trauma results in an important amount of short and long-term sequelae that occurs in a high percentage of the survivors, and because of its non-specific symptoms may be difficult to identify and diagnose.

Keywords : Electric trauma; Lightning; High voltaje; Low voltage.

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