What to do if you get an electric shock. Actions and first aid in case of electric shock Medical assistance in case of electric shock

- a dangerous industrial or domestic injury that may result in the death of the victim. No one is immune from electrical injuries, and each of us needs to know how to act in such situations.

Electric Shock: Signs and Symptoms

When an electric current passes through the tissues, the latter become very hot, which leads to the formation of electrical burns to the skin and damage to tissues and organs that are located in the immediate vicinity. An electrical burn occurs in the area where the current enters and exits. Such areas are often referred to as “current marks.”

It is noteworthy that externally, an electrical burn may be insignificant. But at the same time, such injuries are deep and can affect numerous muscles, bones and internal organs, which is extremely dangerous. In particular, electric current can seriously disrupt the functioning of the heart muscle, leading to complete cardiac arrest. In addition, when receiving an electric shock, the victim may experience respiratory arrest.

The main signs and symptoms of electric shock include:

• The presence of a bare current source near the victim.
• at the victim.
• The presence of a burn on the skin (may seem insignificant outwardly).
• Breathing problems or complete cessation.
• Very weak or arrhythmic pulse (or complete stop of the pulse).
• The inlet and outlet openings of electrical charges are in most cases located on the hands of the upper limbs or on the feet.

If symptoms such as lack of pulse, uneven breathing, or convulsive seizures due to electric shock appear, you should immediately call an ambulance. Even a short exposure to electric current can cause the death of the victim, so a lot depends on the timeliness of first aid.

How to provide first aid in case of electric shock

If you witness an electric shock, you can provide first aid to the victim (while waiting for an ambulance) as follows:

1. Assess the situation. Do not touch the victim under any circumstances if he is still exposed to the current source. In this case, you will also become a victim of an electric shock.
2. Turn off the power source. If this is not possible, then you need to move the source away from the victim using an object that does not conduct current (for example, a wooden or plastic stick). Sometimes a person just needs to be moved away from the power source. Remember that the victim’s body conducts current, so you should not touch uncovered parts of the body with your bare hands. Grasp dry areas of clothing and wear rubber gloves or wrap your hands in a dry cloth.
3. Assess pulse and breathing. Once the source of electrical current is removed, the victim's pulse and breathing must be assessed. If there is no pulse and breathing, then you need to perform a closed heart massage and artificial respiration.
4. We examine the burns. Inspect exposed areas of the body. You should find two burns: where the electrical current enters and where it exits. Burns should be covered with a clean cloth, but never cover them with a towel or blanket, as their fibers may stick to the affected surface. For better heart function, the victim’s legs should be slightly elevated above the level of his body.

After completing all activities, wait for an ambulance. The victim of an electrical shock requires hospitalization.

In physics, there are concepts: step and touch voltage. Step voltage occurs between 2 points of a current-carrying circuit, the distance between which corresponds to approximately one step. A person standing simultaneously on these points falls under its influence and receives an electric shock. The most dangerous situation is when the victim falls. Then the voltage increases, because Now the current affects not only the legs, but the whole body.

When a person touches these points in the circuit at the same time, touch voltage appears, which can also lead to negative electric shocks. Its danger lies in the possible short circuit of the circuit, and also affects the voltage in the network and the operation of its neutrals.

This article will tell you what the dangers of getting an electrical injury are, how to understand that a person has been exposed to voltage in the network, how to help him, and what to do after an electric shock.

Causes and consequences

Domestic or industrial electrical injuries are extremely common. They often arise due to failure to comply with basic, safe actions when working with electrical appliances. Let's look at the most common causes leading to electric shock:

1. Working electrical appliances that have any malfunction
2. Touching bare parts of the wire with bare hands
3. Self-repair without following safety rules and minimal knowledge of physics
4. Strong, sudden changes in voltage in the network. They can not only harm human health, but also cause a fire.
5. In production, it is possible that voltage may be erroneously supplied to areas where people may be working.
6. Household electrical appliances (for example, for heating a room) made independently or that do not comply with safety regulations (purchased on the market, without quality documents)

It should be understood that electric shock has a very strong negative effect on the human body. Even with mild damage, you should see a doctor, because... delayed consequences are possible.

Electricity, affecting the body, causes biological, thermal and electrolytic damage. The latter are associated with changes in the composition of the main body fluids (blood, lymph). They are destroyed, which leads to severe disruption of the functioning of internal organs.

Thermal effects are expressed in the appearance of burns on the skin, heating and destruction of nerve fibers and blood vessels. Biological disorders manifest themselves in uncontrolled contractions of muscles, including the heart muscle and respiratory organs.

All electric shocks, depending on the time of exposure and strength, have 4 levels of damage:

• The easiest is grade 1. Muscle contraction is felt, but the person remains conscious.
• In grade 2, sudden muscle contraction leads to unconsciousness. An important point: breathing and heartbeat are clearly defined, there are no failures.
• The functioning of the heart and respiratory organs is disrupted, a person is unconscious for a long time - these are the symptoms of stage 3 electric shock.
• Stage 4 – severe muscle spasms lead to cardiac arrest, breathing cannot be determined. In this case, clinical death occurs. Its maximum duration depends on various factors and can reach 8 minutes.

Clinical death should be distinguished from biological death, which can only be diagnosed by medical professionals. At level 4, timely and correct assistance in case of electric shock is extremely important.

Main symptoms

Having seen a person unconscious, before calling a doctor and providing first aid, the cause of such a painful condition should be determined.

An electric shock can be easily recognized by the presence of burns at the points where the current enters and/or exits. The skin will be swollen and discolored, ranging from pink to red. In especially severe cases, blackening of the skin at the sites of electric shock is possible.

Convulsive movements indicate involuntary contractions that necessarily occur when a person comes under mains voltage. Weak or irregular pulse and breathing may also be impaired.

If a person is conscious, he may complain of pain throughout the body, a feeling of numbness in the limbs. There may also be confusion and slurred speech due to shock.

Electric current causes thermal, chemical and mechanical damage. Damage to the peripheral nervous system is determined by the passage of current, thermal effects, and burn intoxication.

Symptoms of electric shock:

• Unexpected fall of a person on the street;
• Unnatural throwing away from a current source by an invisible force;
• Loss of consciousness;
• Convulsions;
• Severe neurological signs: memory loss, impaired understanding of speech and vision, impaired spatial orientation, psychomotor restlessness; weakness and weakness; dizziness and headache; violation of thermoregulation; flickering in the eyes, blurred vision.
• Changes in skin sensitivity;
• Ventricular fibrillation and respiratory arrest;
• Burns on the body with sharply defined boundaries.

What to do

Having detected a person after an electric shock, it is necessary to follow a certain algorithm of actions. You need to act calmly, quickly and correctly. By doing this, you will not only save his life, but also protect yourself from electric shock, under which the injured person may be.

Where to start:

First of all, de-energize the victim by removing the wires from him using any object that has low electrical conductivity (wood, rubber, glass, paraffin, plastic). A rolled up newspaper or magazine is a good option. If it is not possible to reach a person, if possible, de-energize the room using an electrical panel. If you find a victim on the street, then walk towards him on the ground in small steps, do not run.

Providing first aid

In case of electric shock, you need to remember that death from electric shock can occur within a few hours, so you need to:

1. Call an ambulance immediately;
2. Assess the state of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. It’s easy to pat a person on the shoulder and ask basic questions (“Can you hear me” or “What’s your name”). If a person does not respond, there is no excursion of the chest and there is no pulse in the large arteries (neck), then one should begin resuscitation measures:
3. Lay the victim on a flat, hard surface, clear the airways of vomit by wrapping a clean handkerchief or piece of cloth around your finger.
4. Tilt the victim's head back, open the mouth, push the lower jaw forward (Triple Safar maneuver);
5. Place your arms straight at the elbows (leading hand up) 2 fingers above the xiphoid process;
6. Perform 100 rhythmic compressions over 1 minute on the chest with a compression amplitude of 5-6 cm until the chest is completely straightened after pressing. Breathing mouth to mouth - two full exhalations every 30 presses on the projection of the heart.
7. The duration of resuscitation measures is until the ambulance arrives or until signs of life appear (pink skin, pulse and breathing). In this case, the victim is turned on his side and an ambulance is awaited;
8. If the victim is breathing , you should lay it so that your head is lower than your legs (legs should be slightly raised). This is a necessary anti-shock measure;
9. Areas of the body damaged as a result of a burn or secondary injury from a fall must be covered with a clean cloth to prevent infection;
10. In the cold season, it is necessary to ensure that frostbite does not occur, and in the hot season - overheating.

Additional tips from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations:

1. Before helping someone who has been electrocuted, ensure your safety - use rubber shoes and gloves.
2. Use wood or plastic to remove exposed electrical wire from a person.
3. Pull the victim away from the area where the electrical wire touches the ground or floor.
4. Call an ambulance.
5. Determine the presence of a pulse in the carotid artery.
6. If there are no signs of life, perform CPR (assuming you know how to do it!).
7. If breathing and heartbeat are restored, turn the electrocuted person on his side.
8. Cover the person who has regained consciousness, warm him up and monitor his condition until the ambulance arrives.

Rules for safe behavior

The most effective protection against electric shock is knowledge of electrical safety.

When using any electrical appliances at home, make sure in advance of their quality and serviceability by carefully inspecting the housing. If you find cracks, dents, or any damage to the insulation, then do not risk your health and do not use it. The unpleasant smell of a working electrical appliance should also alert you.

In the dark or when visibility is poor, do not try to repair electrical equipment, because... there is a high chance that you will touch unprotected parts of the wires.

Connect the plug only with dry hands. It is also recommended to wear dry shoes with rubber soles when working with power tools. While in water (shower, bath, sauna), do not use plugged-in devices.

Prohibitions also include the following actions:

• Drilling a wall or driving nails into it without first familiarizing yourself with the wiring diagram for the given room
• When working with electric tools, hold on to the pipes or battery
• Paint or whitewash walls on which there are live sockets.

To protect a child from electric shock, all electrical appliances, wires and sockets should be isolated from him. You can close them with special rubber baby plugs with a lock that only you can open. Wires and extension cords can also be hidden under special protective covers.

If a live wire catches fire, never try to extinguish it with water. Unplug it first.

An electric shock occurs when it comes into contact with electrical wires or objects accidentally connected to the electrical network, less often with the ground near a fallen high-voltage wire; when approaching high-voltage installations; when struck by lightning during a thunderstorm.

The severity of electrical injury depends on the force, voltage and the contact of various parts of the body that were the point of contact.

It is believed that the action of low frequency currents, starting from 80-400 V, is dangerous, and 500 V and above is almost always fatal. It should be noted that when touching an exposed wire, the victim, due to convulsive muscle contractions, cannot release it from his hands, and this results in a long-term effect of electric current on the body. There are indications that prolonged exposure to electric power or electromagnetic fields can contribute to the early development of atherosclerosis.

Symptoms of electric shock

Depending on the lesion, general symptoms may be more or less pronounced. They boil down to convulsive, reaching tetanus, contractions of muscle groups and pain. Often there is a sharp pallor of the skin, and there may be diffuse cyanosis. In severe cases - loss of consciousness; First, increased frequency, and then disturbance and cessation of breathing. From the cardiovascular system - weak, frequent pulse, sometimes atrial fibrillation; on auscultation - quiet heart sounds. Imaginary death is possible, and in severe cases, in the absence of first aid, electric shock causes death due to paralysis of the nerve centers.

When consciousness returns, the patient is often agitated, paralysis and sensitivity disorders are possible. Those who have been exposed to the current may experience weakness and heart rhythm disturbances for some time.

Local. changes are noted in the places where the current enters and exits (“current signs” - white-gray spots or callus-like formations with an indentation in the center). In addition, local changes may present a picture of a II and III degree burn.

When struck by lightning, the effect of which is similar to a high voltage current, a so-called lightning figure (a branching reddish pattern) may appear on the body.

First aid for electric shock

First aid in case of electric shock is the immediate elimination of the further effect of the current on the victim, which is achieved by turning off the power line, crossing the wires, pulling the victim away from the place where the current is applied, taking personal protective measures (wear rubber gloves, rubber galoshes, stand on a rubber mat, a dry wooden board, remove the wire from the victim with a dry wooden stick). The victim should be freed from the wire by using the ends of his clothing with a stick, without touching his body with unprotected hands.

Medical assistance in case of electric shock is reduced to excitation of cardiac activity and respiration. In case of unconsciousness, respiratory arrest, heartbeat, lobeline, corazole, caffeine are administered intravenously or subcutaneously, ammonia is given to sniff, and carbogen is inhaled. Artificial respiration is mandatory (preferably using the Sylvester method) for 2-3 hours, which, if unsuccessful, can be stopped only after the specified time has elapsed and cadaveric spots or rigor mortis appear. For artificial respiration, you can use the Mountain Rescuer equipment. In the absence of signs of cardiac activity, adrenaline (0.5 ml) and lobelia (0.5 ml of a 1% solution) are administered intracardially.

Indirect heart is recommended. If appropriate equipment is available (call an ambulance), cardiac defibrillation is used as an emergency. A large plate electrode is placed under the left shoulder blade, and another electrode is pressed firmly against the heart area and a shock is delivered. The effect occurs within 2-5 minutes. A 40% glucose solution in an amount of 20-50 ml should be administered intravenously, preferably with the addition of 1 ml of corglycon, 0.5 ml of strophanthin.

Recently, first aid in case of electric shock has been successfully performed by defibrillation of the heart with a special device - a defibrillator and other resuscitation measures. Venesection should be performed on the peripheral portion of the femoral vein so as not to interfere with artificial respiration. With white asphyxia, the patient is placed in an inclined position with his head down. In these cases, blood transfusion or intravenous administration of blood replacement fluids is indicated.

To eliminate acidosis, alkalization is carried out by intravenous administration of 10 ml of a 30% solution or 30 ml of a 10% thiosulfate solution. When breathing is restored, the patient is given oxygen to breathe, and cardiac activity is supported by generally accepted means.

In the future - adherence to bed rest, careful and gradual return to work.

Treatment for local lesions, such as burns.

Burying people struck by lightning or electric current into the ground is strictly prohibited, since this only wastes time to carry out the necessary resuscitation measures.

Prevention

Taking precautions when working with electrical wires, their correct and reliable insulation; in relation to the prevention of lightning strikes - installation of lightning rods.

Content

If a person has received an electric shock, then he should be provided with emergency first aid for electric shock according to a special algorithm. The appliances that people use at home can become faulty and lead to trouble. When first aid for electric shock is performed correctly, it is possible to resuscitate the patient before doctors arrive.

What is Electric Shock?

The effect of current on a person leads to pathological disturbances in the functioning of the body and death. Domestic electrical injuries and lightning damage have different sources and require the right approach to treatment. They often get damaged due to non-compliance with safety rules, when the wiring insulation is broken. Electrical injury due to natural weather conditions is rare.

In specialized premises at the enterprise there must be instructions on electrical safety with the order of first nursing aid in case of electric shock to an employee with pictures and diagrams.

Signs

If the victim has lost consciousness without witnesses, then the cause of the condition can be determined by the main signs of electric shock:

1. There are exposed electrical wires nearby.
2. Wounds remain from the entrance hole.
3. Pulse and breathing are intermittent.
4. The skin and lips have a bluish tint.

The negative impact of electricity manifests itself in disruption of the functioning of internal organs. Due to the electric shock, tissues are heated and all muscle groups contract. The electric arc leaves marks at the entrance and exit, affecting the deep layers of the skin. The input is the point of contact with the cable. The consequences are:

• dizziness;
• spasm of the vocal cords;
• myocardial infarction;
• convulsions;
• heart failure;
• loss of consciousness.

Actions in case of electric shock

Voltage up to 50 V is safe for humans, and with high humidity in the room, even 12 V poses a threat to life, so at home it is necessary to provide timely first aid. Actions in case of electric shock to a person:

1. Unplug the damaged device from the network, cut the wire with pliers, cut it with an ax without touching it. You can use dry rubber gloves, a cloth, or a wooden object.
2. If it is not possible to cut off the source of damage, you need to pull the person several meters by the edge of his clothing. You cannot touch his skin with your bare hands.
3. Assess the emotional and physical condition of the patient. Electrical shock causes severe shock accompanied by hallucinations.

First aid for electric shock

The brain and heart are most affected; there is a rhythm disturbance that leads to cessation of breathing, so it is important to begin providing assistance for electric shock in the first minutes after the incident. The actions of a person who finds himself near an electric current depend on the degree of the patient’s condition and the complexity of his injuries, and are carried out in the following sequence:

1. If consciousness is present, you need to place it on a hard surface, ensure rest, lubricate the skin around the burns with 5% iodine or potassium permanganate, apply a clean, dry bandage over the burns. You need to give the painkiller Analgin or Aspirin, a few (25-30) drops of valerian diluted in water.
2. If a person faints, but the pulse is palpable in the area of ​​the carotid artery, then first aid for electrical injury is performed before doctors arrive. It is necessary to free him from constrictive clothing, bring him to consciousness with ammonia, and warm him up.
3. During loss of consciousness and clinical death, it is necessary to resuscitate by performing indirect cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose artificial respiration if the mouth muscles are spasmed.

Here is a brief description of the first steps to take in the event of an electrical shock. Indirect massage of the heart muscle is performed alternately with inhalation of air. The head is thrown back, the mouth is freed from foreign objects. An individual attachment for the procedure is placed on the lips, the nose is pinched and 5 strong breaths are taken. Then perform 10 pushes with straight hands placed on top of each other in the solar plexus area.

First aid for electric shock

After the arrival of specialists, an additional assessment of the patient’s current condition and the quality of pre-medical manipulation is carried out. If the first honey assistance in case of electric shock did not produce results - actions continue using special means. Instead of artificial respiration, a portable ventilator is connected, through which oxygen is supplied.

Resuscitation of electric shock

When resuscitation for electric shock does not produce results after 4-5 minutes, an intracardiac, intravenous or intramuscular injection of adrenaline 0.1%, a solution of strophanthin 0.05% mixed with 20 ml of glucose 40% will help enhance the effect. If consciousness is restored, the person is placed on his side and the nurse gives him anti-shock and painkillers to ensure normal heart function. In this condition, when first aid for electric shock has been provided, he is ready for transportation to the hospital.

Video: first aid for electric shock

Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials in the article do not encourage self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.