Electrical injuries are caused by exposure to an electrical current.
Forms of electrical current include:
- Low-voltage alternating current:
- 110-120 volt household current
- High-voltage alternating current:
- Community power lines or 220 volt household current
- High-voltage direct current:
- Industrial power plants and lightning
High-voltage electrical current tends to cause much more serious injuries than low-voltage electrical current. Electrical current that does not enter the body causes a
burn to the skin or a mild
shock. Serious injuries occur when the electrical current enters the body, passes through organs, and exits from another location. The sizes of the entrance and exit wounds do not correlate with the extend of internal injury. For example, serious internal injuries can occur with small entrance and exit wounds. Conversely, large
skin wounds occur without internal injury.
