1887
Volume 2014, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1999-7086
  • EISSN: 1999-7094

Abstract

Thunderstorms and lightning are uncommon in the Arabian Gulf. Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere or between atmosphere and ground. Most frequently fatalities after the lightning injury are due to direct lightning strike and cardiorespiratory arrest. It is essential that acute care physicians as well as paramedical personnel are aware of lightning injury and its management. This is a case of a field worker who was struck by lightning while working, which led to a cardiorespiratory arrest.

A young male was brought to the emergency room with a history of having been struck by lightning while he was at work in the desert on a roadside project in a thunderstorm. The lightning injury was witnessed by his colleagues and they started immediate basic life support when they found him unconscious without a pulse. He was intubated, ventilated and started on vasopressors in the nearest primary health centre. He was then transferred to an intensive care unit. He was weaned off vasopressors and ventilation by day four and was extubated then transferred to the ward and subsequently discharged home.

Awareness of the danger posed by lightning injury is essential. Early life support is important for better outcome of lightning induced cardiorespiratory arrest.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2014.1
2014-03-01
2024-11-09
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/jemtac/2014/1/jemtac.2014.1.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2014.1&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. National Weather Service. September 2013 Lightning Safety Blog, http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/blog.htm .
  2. Nasa Science. Human Voltage, What happens when people and lightning converge http://science1.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/essd18jun99_1/ .
  3. White Comb D, Martinez JA, Daberkow D. Lightning injuries. South Med J. 2006; 95::13311334.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Cooper MA, Zainal Abidin M. Lightning injury continues to be a public health threat internationally. 21st International lightning detection conference, Florida, USA. 2010;:15.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Holle RL. Annual rates of lightning fatalities by country. 20th International lightning detection conference, Florida, USA. 2008;:114.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Curran EB, Holle RL, Lopez RE. Lightning casualties and damage in the United States from 1959 to 1994. J Climate. 2000; 13:19:34483464.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Cooper MA, Andrews CJ, Holle RJ, Lopez RE. Lightning injuries. In: Auerbach PS, ed. Wilderness Medicine: Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: Mosby 2012;:301305.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Cooper MA. Lightning injuries: prognostic signs of death. Ann Emerg Med. 1980; 9:2:134138.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Rivera J, Romero KA, Gonzalez-Chon O, Uruchurtu E, Marquez MF, Guevara M. Severe stunned myocardium after lightning strike. Crit Care Med. 2007; 35:1:280285.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Desai B. Emergent management of lightning injuries. Emerg Med. 2011; 43:1:713.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. O'Keefe Gate wood M, Zane RD. Lightning injuries. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2004; 22:2:369403.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2014.1
Loading
/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2014.1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error