First aid when electrocuted, pay attention to the voltage!

Electric shock is one of the emergencies that can be found in hospitals. Approximately 1000 deaths from electric shock occur each year, with injuries from electric shocks causing a mortality rate of 3-5% or 3-5 deaths for every 100 events. This case generally occurs in the work environment in adults, and in the home environment in children.

What causes electric shock (electric shock)?

Electric shock is damage to a wide network caused by an electric current. Some of the most common causes of electric shock are:

• Contact with power tools or cables that are not covered by a conductor.
• Electrical connection from high voltage power lines.
• Lightning strike.
• Contact with machines or tools in the work environment.
• In children it is often caused by the child touching or touching a power source with other metal materials.

Why is electric shock dangerous?

Compared to other burns, electric shock is more dangerous because the visible wound on the surface often does not represent the true condition of the victim. The human body is a good conductor of electricity, which means that if a human is electrocuted, electricity can be delivered throughout the body so that the damage can be very extensive. Often the greatest damage occurs to nerve tissue, blood vessels, and muscles. This is due to the organ's lower resistance according to Ohm's law.

What are the signs and symptoms of electric shock?

The signs and symptoms of electric shock vary, depending on what organs the electric current has been through and damaged. The severity of organ damage is influenced by various factors such as: how long it takes to contact an electric current, the type of electric current and how strong the electric current is, how the electricity is distributed in the body, and what is the general health condition of the victim. Electric current of> 200,000 Ampere with> 30 × 106 Volt causes a high mortality rate even though the contact time is short.

Risks to organs caused by electric shock (electric shock)

When you get an electric shock, depending on the severity, the following may happen to your body:

• Heart: decrease or increase in blood pressure, heart muscle damage, heart rhythm disturbances, coronary infarction, chest pain, and cardiac arrest which can lead to death.
• Nerves: headache, weakness, swelling of the brain, mental status disorders, insomnia, restlessness, seizures, coma, and bone marrow disorders.
• Muscle: muscle death, compartment syndrome.
• Bone: joint dislocation and fracture.
• Skin: burns from electric shock.
• Blood vessels: formation of blood clots in vessels, blood clotting disorders, rupture of blood vessels.
• Lungs: fluid buildup in the lungs, airway trauma, lung muscle injury and stopping breathing.
• Kidney: electrolyte disturbances, pH disturbances, acute renal failure.
• Vision: inflammation and bleeding in the eyeball, corneal burns, cataracts.
• Hearing: inflammation of the mastoid bone, torn eardrum, ringing in hearing, hearing loss.
• Pregnancy: death in fetus, spontaneous abortion.

How do you handle electric shock (electric shock)?

Here's what you should do when faced with a situation where someone has been electrocuted.

• Turn off the power source or unplug the cord causing the shock, if safe.
• If the electric current cannot be stopped, push the victim with a non-conductive device, such as a broom, chair, or wooden stick. Use footwear or stand on non-conducting material, such as a rubber mat or a pile of newspapers.
• Contact the nearest health clinic.
• After the patient is safe, check the patient's breathing and heart rate. If you find respiratory or cardiac arrest, perform first aid according to your ability.
• Stay with the patient until medical assistance arrives.

What should not be done to handle electric shock (electric shock)?

You may mean well and want to help, but also pay attention to the following things so that relief efforts will not actually have fatal consequences not only for the victim, but also for those of you who help him.

• Avoid getting too close to the victim if electrocuted by high-voltage power cords.
• Do not pull or push the victim with bare hands, wet towels, or metal while the victim is still in contact with the electric current.
• Do not move the victim after the current has been cut off, unless there is a risk of fire or explosion. Electric shock can cause complications in the form of nerve damage or fractures, so changing the position of the victim can exacerbate the complications.