Lightning injury: report of a case.
Lightning injury can cause severe damage to many systems and often results in a high mortality. We report a case of sustained lightning injury in which a 54-year-old woman presented with heart failure, pulmonary edema and consciousness disturbance. The patient was found unconscious, lying face down on the ground of a trash dump on the day of a thunderstorm. No deformities were seen in the extremities, but scattered third degree burns (less than 1%) were found on her neck where her necklace had been. Ventilator and inotropic agents with an adequate fluid supply were used. A Swan-Ganz catheter was inserted for monitoring. The patient was discharged two weeks later with an uneventful clinical course, except for mild neurologic sequelae (amnesia, disorientation).
Tseng
Y L
YL
Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tsai
M C
MC
Wu
M H
MH
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015168:Lightning Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000209:etiology; D013616:Tachycardia, Sinus / Q000209:etiology; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000209:etiology