Lightning injury: report of two cases

An injury subjacent to lac ornament in a case of lightning

This is a report of a case in which, for the first time, direct lightning strike had caused burn injuries associated with internal soft-tissue bruising and visceral injury subjacent to lac jewellery on the chest. The burn injury depicted a symmetrical pattern, which was almost 5 times larger than the size of the jewellery. Surprisingly, there was bruising of soft tissue beneath the burn, associated with extravasation of blood in anterior mediastinum, contusion of anterior border of lungs, contusion to heart and rent by burn to the blouse of the victim over the front and back, all in one line, showing very unusual injury of lightning strike.

Lightning fatality with blast, flame, heat and current effects: a macroscopic and microscopic view

A case is presented of a fatal environmental accidental injuries of lightning. A pedestrian was struck by lightning. The macroscopic and microscopic lightning injuries are reviewed.

Environmental injuries

Environmental injuries and illnesses can happen in home, work, or recreational settings. The variety and severity of these injuries might require the clinician to call on skills from internal medicine, emergency medicine, and toxicology. Diseases of thermoregulation are hypothermia and hyperthermia. In each instance, treatment is based on the need to restore the patient's core temperature to normal and on monitoring for complications. The victim of a fire might suffer inhalation injury in addition to burns, and it is more likely that the inhalation injury will be fatal. Oxygen deprivation and inhalation of irritant or asphyxiant chemicals contribute to injury. Toxic plants can be the source of poisoning emergencies, especially in children. Misinformation and myths that surround common plants can create diagnostic problems (i.e., which plants really are toxic and require emergency measures). Venomous marine organisms can cause a wide range of injury, from cutaneous eruption to fatal envenomation. Most are encountered in a recreational setting, such as water sports, but keepers of home aquariums are subject to stings from venomous fish. Lightning injury can present many diagnostic and treatment dilemmas. An important point in this regard is that lightning injury and high-voltage electrical injury are different in pathology and require different approaches for treatment. A discussion of electrical, chemical, and thermal burns makes such differences apparent.