Injuries, Sequelae, and Treatment of Lightning-Induced Injuries: 10 Years of Experience at a Swiss Trauma Center
Table 2
Lightning strike victims presenting between 2000 and 2010 to our emergency department.
Year
Age
Gender
Description of event
Cardiovascular
Neurological
Skin
ENT
Other
1
03
30
Female
Patient with arrhythmias after lightning strike
Arrhythmia
/
/
/
/
2
03
45
Male
Patient was driving a car when hit by lightning, strong contraction of the pectoral muscles
Thoracic pain
/
/
/
Muscular pain
3
05
24
Female
Patient was in contact with a car when hit by lightning; short episode of paralysis and paresthesia in the right leg, first degree burns of the right hemithorax, strong pain in gluteal muscle, rhabdomyolysis, hospitalized
/
Paresthesia, paralysis
First-degree burns
/
Myoglobinuria, muscular pain
4
06
41
Male
Patient standing on the roof of a building when hit by lightning, arrhythmia, excoriation of hands, hospitalized
Arrhythmia
Vertigo
Excoriation
/
/
5
07
58
Male
Patient hiking when hit by lightning, paresthesia, first-degree burns on right-lower extremity, second- to third-degree burns on entrance point and exit point on right-lower leg and left chest, admission to ICU
/
Paresthesia
Second- to third-degree burns (9% of body surface)
/
Myoglobinuria
6
09
49
Male
Patient with arrhythmias after lightning strike
Arrhythmia
/
/
/
/
7
09
32
Female
Patient standing at a window when hit by lightning; paralysis and paresthesia of the left upper extremity for two hours
/
Paresthesia, paralysis
/
/
/
8
10
33
Female
Patient driving a car when hit by lightning; deafness of the right ear, paresthesia of the right ear, headache
/
Paresthesia, headache
/
deafness
/
9
10
52
Male
Patient working in the forest when lightning hit a tree 0.50 m away, cardiopulmonary arrest, wide nonreactive pupils, resuscitation, followed by intermittent bradyarrhythmia, admission to ICU
