Photo: from the site sob.ru
A seven-year-old resident of the Chinese province of Sichuan was born in a shirt - a bare high-voltage wire fell on the boy, but the child miraculously survived, Vesti.Ru reports.
A little boy named He Haoyang was playing under a high-voltage power line. Suddenly one of the wires broke and fell right on him. After a powerful electric shock with a voltage of 10 thousand volts, the boy stood on his feet and even ran several meters away from the place where the wire fell.
The victim was quickly taken to the hospital. The surprise of the doctors knew no bounds. The child only received burns on his hands! Doctors did not find any damage to the brain or internal organs that is usual in such cases.
It remains a mystery how the boy managed to survive. After all, for several meters in the area where the wire fell, all the earth was scorched.
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Comments
(total comments: 5)Wrote: My heart hurts.
There was an electric shock of 10,000 volts in the transformer box. There was a small booth on 2 floors, 5m long and 3m wide, the first floor was de-energized and the second floor was energized. We decided to remove the copper switches... There were 2 transformers, on the first floor they also removed everything, began to go up to the second floor, I decided to scratch some plate with a wrench, the key melted and a fragment flew into pieces, hit me in the chest, I touched everything, sparks crackling in my eyes, tinnitus, First he fell on his knees, then on his back, began to raise his arm, never rose, and passed out for about 7 minutes. When I recovered, my head was spinning and everything hurt. Then I was in the hospital for 2 weeks....
Posted by: Larisa
+ at the city substation they were painting a transformer, there was an order that it was turned off, but due to the negligence of the dispatchers it turned on. I was shocked by 10 thousand volts, my health is poor with a great deterioration in the heart area.
Posted by: Laguts
When I was about ten years old, in a transformer substation I touched the incoming cable with my hand, as it turned out ten thousand volts passed through it, all of them passed through me, I also remained standing, there were wounds on my hand with charred edges, not too significant. I returned home on my own and felt fine, although I was very scared. Until then, I was not afraid to pick up a 220 wire. I think it all depends on the individual resistance of the body, etc. Some other factors, the humidity of the surface of the soil, shoes, the presence of wounds on the surface of the body, the level of dry skin are of considerable importance.
Posted by: KASS
According to friends who understand electricity, yesterday I received an electric shock of approximately 10,000 volts (another 63A is indicated at the substation located not far from this place). I hooked an 8m fishing rod onto the wires at the top, I got an electric shock, got a burn on my right arm and left leg, it knocked me down, I felt like I was being twisted all over, but I didn’t lose consciousness. I feel fine, but my muscles hurt a lot - from my neck to my chest. Today I checked with a cardiologist - everything is fine. COMPLETELY OK! Only the muscles of the arms, neck and chest hurt a lot! So it’s not just Chinese boys who are lucky!
Electrical injury– damage to organs and body systems under the influence of electric current.
- The first mention of death from electric current was registered in 1879 in France, Lyon, a carpenter died from a generator AC.
- In developed countries, the incidence of electric shock is on average about 2-3 cases per hundred thousand population.
- Most often, young people of working age suffer from electric shock.
- The mortality rate for men from electrical injuries is 4 times higher than for women.
The effect of electric current on the human body
Electric current has thermal, electrochemical and biological effects on humans.- Thermal impact: Electrical energy, encountering resistance from body tissues, turns into thermal energy and causes electrical burns. Mostly, burns occur at the point of entry and exit of current, that is, in places of greatest resistance. As a result, the so-called current marks or signs. Thermal energy, converted from electrical energy, destroys and changes tissue along its path.
- Electrochemical effect:“gluing”, thickening of blood cells (platelets and leukocytes), movement of ions, change in protein charges, formation of steam and gas, giving tissues a cellular appearance, etc.
- Biological action: disruption of the nervous system, disruption of cardiac conduction, contraction of the skeletal muscles of the heart, etc.
What determines the severity and nature of electrical injury?
Factors of defeat electric shock:- Type, strength and voltage
- Alternating current is more dangerous than direct current. At the same time, low-frequency currents (about 50-60 Hz) are more dangerous than high-frequency ones. The frequency of the current used in everyday life is 60 Hz. As the frequency increases, the current flows across the surface of the skin, causing burns, but not death.
- The most significant is the strength and voltage of the electric current.
| The body's response to the passage of alternating current | |
| Current strength | How does the victim feel? |
| 0.9-1.2 mA | The current is barely noticeable |
| 1.2-1.6 mA | Feeling of "goosebumps" or tingling |
| 1.6-2.8 mA | Feeling of heaviness in the wrist |
| 2.8-4.5 mA | Stiffness in the forearm |
| 4.5-5.0 mA | Convulsive contraction of the forearm |
| 5.0-7.0 mA | Convulsive contraction of the shoulder muscles |
| 15.0-20 mA | It's impossible to take your hand off the wire |
| 20-40 mA | Very painful muscle cramps |
| 50-100 mA | Heart failure |
| More than 200 mA | Very deep burns |
- Current high voltage(over 1000 volts) causes more severe damage. High voltage electric shock can occur even when one step away from the current source (“voltaic arc”). As a rule, deaths occur as a result of high-voltage injuries. Low-voltage electric shocks are mostly common in households, and fortunately, the percentage of deaths from low-voltage electric shocks is lower than from high-voltage injuries.
- The path of current through the body
- The path that current takes through the body is called a current loop. The most dangerous is a full loop (2 arms - 2 legs), in which the current passes through the heart, causing disruptions in its functioning until it stops completely. The following loops are also considered dangerous: hand-head, hand-hand.
- Current duration
- The longer the contact with the current source, the more pronounced the damage and the higher the likelihood of death. When exposed to high voltage current, due to a sharp muscle contraction, the victim can be immediately thrown away from the current source. At lower voltages, muscle spasm may cause prolonged hand gripping of the conductor. As the time of exposure to current increases, the resistance of the skin decreases, so the victim’s contact with the current source should be stopped as soon as possible.
- Environmental factors
The risk of electric shock increases in damp and damp rooms (bathrooms, bathhouses, dugouts, etc.). - The outcome of electrical trauma also largely depends on age and body condition at the moment of defeat
- The severity of the lesion increases: childhood and old age, fatigue, exhaustion, chronic diseases, alcohol intoxication.
Degrees of electric shock
Electric Shock Hazard or consequences of electric shock
| System | Consequences |
Nervous system
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Cardiovascular system
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Respiratory system
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| Sense organs
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Striated and smooth muscles
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Causes of death:
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Long-term complications:
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Electric shock sign or electrotag
| Electric tag– areas of tissue necrosis at the points of entry and exit of electric current. Arise as a result of transition electrical energy to thermal. | |||
| Form | Color | Characteristic signs | Photo |
| Round or oval, but can also be linear. Often there is a ridge-like elevation along the edges of the damaged skin, while the middle of the mark appears slightly sunken. Sometimes the top layer of skin may peel away in the form of blisters, but without fluid inside, unlike thermal burns. | Usually lighter than surrounding tissue - pale yellow or grayish white. | The marks are completely painless due to damage to the nerve endings. Deposition of conductor metal particles on the skin (copper - blue-green, iron-brown, etc.). When exposed to a low voltage current, metal particles are located on the surface of the skin, and when exposed to a high voltage current, they spread deep into the skin. The hair in the area of the marks is twisted into a spiral, maintaining its structure. | 
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| Electrical burns are not always limited to marks on the skin. Quite often, damage to deeper tissues occurs: muscles, tendons, bones. Sometimes the lesions are located under apparently healthy skin. | |||
Help with electric shock
The consequences of electric shock largely depend on the provision timely assistance.Should I call an ambulance?
There are cases of sudden death a few hours after electric shock. Based on this, any victim of an electric shock must be taken to a specialized hospital, where, if necessary, medical treatment can be provided. urgent Care. Steps to help with electric shock
- Stop the impact of the current on the victim, following the established rules. Open electrical circuit using a circuit breaker or switch, or unplug the plug from the socket. Remove the current source from the victim using insulating objects (wooden stick, chair, clothing, rope, rubber gloves, dry towel, etc.). You should approach the victim wearing rubber or leather shoes on a dry surface or placing a rubber mat or dry boards under your feet.
If necessary, drag the victim away from the zone of action of the “step voltage” (at a distance of up to 10 m), holding him by a belt or dry clothing, without touching open parts of the body.
- Determine the presence of consciousness
- Take them by the shoulders, shake them (do not do this if you suspect a spinal injury), and ask loudly: What’s wrong with you? Do you need help?
- Assess the state of cardiac and respiratory activity. And if necessary, carry out resuscitation measures according to the ABC algorithm (closed cardiac massage, artificial ventilation (mouth-to-mouth breathing)).
| ABC algorithm | What to do? | How to do it? |
A | Clear the airways | It is necessary to perform a number of techniques to move the root of the tongue away from the back wall and thus remove the obstacle to the air flow.
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IN | Check if there is breathing | Lean towards the victim’s chest and determine whether there is breathing movement in the chest. If it is visually difficult to determine whether there is breathing or not. You can bring a mirror to your mouth or nose, which will fog up if there is breathing, or you can bring a thin thread, which will deflect if there is breathing. |
WITH | Determine if pulse | The pulse is determined on the carotid artery, with the fingers bent at the phalanges. |
| At the present stage of medicine, it is recommended to begin resuscitation actions from point C - indirect cardiac massage, then A - release of the airways and B - artificial respiration. | ||
If breathing and pulse are not detected, you need to start resuscitation measures:
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| Drug treatment. If measures are unsuccessful within 2-3 minutes, 1 ml of 0.1% adrenaline is administered (intravenously, intramuscularly or intracardially), a solution of calcium chloride 10% - 10 ml, a solution of strophanthin 0.05% - 1 ml diluted in 20 ml of a 40% solution glucose. | ||
| If there is breathing, the victim must be placed in a stable lateral position and wait for the ambulance to arrive.
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4. Dry gauze or contour bandages should be applied to the burned surfaces. The application of ointment dressings is contraindicated. 5. If the victim is conscious, before the ambulance arrives, if necessary, you can give painkillers (analgin, ibuprofen, etc.) and/or a sedative (tincture of valerian, persen, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.).
6. The victim should be transported only in a lying position and covered warmly. 
Treatment in hospital
- All victims with symptoms of shock are hospitalized in the intensive care unit.
- Victims without signs of electrical or burn shock with limited electrical burns are hospitalized in surgical wards. According to indications, burn wounds are cleaned, bandaged, and medicated (cardiac and antiarrhythmic drugs, vitamins, etc.). If necessary, complex surgical interventions are performed to restore the integrity and functional capacity of damaged tissues and organs.
- Victims without local lesions, even in satisfactory condition, require hospitalization in the therapeutic department for further observation and examination. Since there are known cases of delayed complications, both from the cardiovascular system (cardiac arrest, cardiac arrhythmia, etc.), and from other systems (nervous, respiratory, etc.).
- People who have suffered an electrical injury often require long-term rehabilitation. Since the effect of electric current can cause long-term complications. Such complications include: damage to the central and peripheral nervous system (inflammation of the nerves - neuritis, trophic ulcers, encephalopathy), the cardiovascular system (disturbances in heart rhythm and conduction of nerve impulses, pathological changes in the heart muscle), the appearance of cataracts, hearing impairment, as well as functions of other organs and systems.
Protection against electric shock
Best protection from electric shock, it's a "head on your shoulders." It is necessary to clearly know all the requirements and safety rules when working with electric current, use the necessary personal protective equipment and be extremely careful when performing any work with electrical installations. Protective equipment:
- Insulating pads and supports;
- Dielectric carpets, gloves, galoshes, caps;
- Portable grounding;
- Tools with insulated handles;
- Use of screens, partitions, chambers for protection against electric current;
- Use of special protective clothing (type Ep1-4);
- Reduce the time spent in the danger zone;
- Safety posters and signs.
- You should only approach live parts at a distance equal to the length of the insulating part of the electrical protective equipment.
- It is mandatory to use an individual shielding set of clothing when working in open switchgear with voltages of 330 kV and above.
- In electrical installations with voltages above 1000V, using a voltage indicator requires the use of dielectric gloves when working in electrical devices above 1000V.
- When a thunderstorm is approaching, all work on switchgear must be stopped.
Vasily Strakha from Luknovo, Koropsky district, ended up in the ATO zone when he was only 20. He is the youngest mobilized in the entire region. Vasya celebrated his 21st birthday in a trench in the Donetsk region. And a month later, in May last year, he almost died - a current discharge of 10,000 volts passed through his body.
He was demobilized last September. He talks about his experiences during the war with a little embarrassment.
“I really wanted to join the army, so when the summons came for military service (and then to the ATO zone), there was no thought about “sloping off,” says Vasily. — I did my military service first in Desna, and then in Crimea. It coincided that as soon as I served and returned home, the occupation of the peninsula began. I stayed at home for six months, worked as a tractor driver, and then I was mobilized to the ATO zone.
He ended up in the 25th Airborne Brigade and was a machine gunner in a reconnaissance airborne company. A year ago, in January, we stood near Avdeevka, Donetsk region. I'll be honest: it was difficult. They fired at us harshly - from mortars, "grads"... I remember the first shelling most of all, because then I was very scared, if it weren't for the experienced guys, I don't know how I would have survived. I experienced the subsequent shelling more calmly and did not panic so much.
I got used to it and acted automatically. Over time, some kind of intuition even appeared, which more than once saved the lives of me and my brothers-in-arms. One day we were chatting with the guys, and my heart became so anxious! I say: “Guys, let’s get out of here. Let's move to another place." And we had just crossed over when a shell fell and exploded where we were! Can you imagine?!
The guys then joked that I was a seer. And once, during a mortar attack, I and another soldier were hiding in a trench. I did not sit next to him, but opposite him. And right before my eyes, a shrapnel hit him and pierced his bulletproof vest. I couldn’t do anything, he died in my arms... Experiencing this is the most difficult thing.
After Avdeevka, I served near Konstantinovka, Donetsk region. One day, my comrades and I were observing the area from our checkpoint. We see: some car is driving not far from the railway track. My partner Zhenya and I went on reconnaissance to find out what kind of car it was and what it was doing there. As soon as they began to approach, the car drove away, leaving two men behind.
They saw us and began to run away. We are behind them. While running along the path, I did not notice the broken high-voltage wire and hooked it with a machine gun. I remember being thrown up and falling a few meters from that place. All he had time to do was shout: “Zhenya, save me!” And he passed out.
Zhenya ran up and began to give me artificial respiration and cardiac massage. I woke up, but I couldn’t move - it felt like my whole body was numb. My right leg hurt very badly. We saw a large round wound a little above the foot. Zhenya gave me some water to drink and tried to get me to my feet, but I couldn’t walk. Then he carried me on his shoulders, but on the road to the checkpoint there was a small hill that he did not have the strength to cross. Gathering my will into a fist, I began to help him, pushing a little with my feet. We crossed a hill and a forest plantation, and then our guys came running to help. I was taken to the hospital in Konstantinovka.
The doctors said that I survived miraculously because she railway high voltage line with a voltage of 10,000 volts! The current passed through the whole body and exited through the leg. I experienced clinical death and received a third degree concussion. And one elderly nurse said: “You’re lucky, boy, that you have a cross and a church ribbon on your hand.” My mother gave me a cross and a ribbon. Maybe they really saved me. I decided to tell my mother about what happened to me only the next day, when I was transported to Dimitrov, Donetsk region.
“He called and said: “Mom, what are you doing?” “I answered that I would field corn,” recalls Natalya Alexandrovna. - Vasya then: “I was shocked. My heart stopped." As soon as I heard it, I sat down with a hoe in my hand in the field. I don’t know how long I sat there. I cried and couldn't stop. When she calmed down, she said: “So it’s too early for you to die, son.”
In Dimitrov, Vasily’s burned skin was cut out and the wound was bandaged. A few days later he was transferred to the Dnepropetrovsk hospital, where he was given a referral for treatment to Kyiv. At the Kiev military hospital he underwent skin graft surgery. A large scar on his leg reminds him of an electric shock.
“The first weeks after the operation I walked on crutches. My leg hurt so much, even painkillers didn’t help,” says Vasily. “After looking at guys like me, but without legs and arms, I realized that I was lucky. Although I had to undergo treatment almost all summer, and then also undergo rehabilitation in Irpen, Kyiv region.
“We are very proud of Vasya. He is so young, and already has a diploma “For conscientious performance of military duty,” a medal “War Veteran” and a badge “For exemplary military service.”
His 5-year-old sister Dasha is especially proud of Vasya. While he was in the east, she often said: “Vasya is protecting me,” and when he returned home, she did not leave his side. She adores her older brother,” Natalya Alexandrovna smiles. - I pray for the children every day. Vasya has been through so much that he still cannot sleep peacefully.
Almost every night he pushes the walls, all his hands are knocked down. And sometimes he jumps up in the middle of the night and moves furniture - barricading himself. We hope this will pass with time...
“I have already returned to my normal life,” adds Vasily. — I work as a tractor driver at a local agricultural enterprise. Spring is coming, there will be a lot of work. I’m only glad of this - when I’m busy, I forget about the headache and everything that I had to go through.
The thirst for life awakened in Zhenya a sociability that had not been noticed in him before
Mommy, scratch my right hand,” Zhenya asked, not suspecting that his hands were amputated on the second day after the accident happened to him. The boy's head is a complete wound, his hands are in bandages, and at first he does not understand what happened.
You don't have a right hand, son. They cut it off,” says Svetlana Evgenievna, holding back tears.
What about the left?
And the left one too, son.
Zhenya has been in the children's department of the capital's burn center at Clinical Hospital N2 for the fifth month now and is now awaiting the next - 17th (!) operation. The exposed skull (the affected area is 20 centimeters in diameter) needs to be “covered” with skin taken from other parts of the boy’s body. And although Zhenya, as they say, no longer has a living place on him, the skin for transplantation will certainly have to be his own: someone else’s will not take root.
Having pushed Zhenya onto the transformer, the friend got scared and ran away
Zhenya's accident happened in early August. He and his friend rode their bikes to the farm, and then it started to rain. The boys decided to hide in a nearby house. Did they know that this house was a transformer booth? For sure. But children are children. Everything that is not locked is open to them. But the booth was not locked. Inside, coming closer to the transformer, the boys threw a wet stick at it: they wondered whether it would throw it away or not? Thrown away! And suddenly, out of the blue, a friend pushed Zhenya in the back - and the boy literally ran into a transformer! Zhenya was pierced by a current - 10,000 volts! What did the boy feel at that moment? Surprisingly, the memory retained many details.
“It became clearer than ever before,” Zhenya conveys his feelings. “Then I felt a strong push, and I was thrown somewhere.” And then I felt very cold. I was lying on the floor, and there was emptiness all around. Only in one corner is my cap, in the other are sneakers. How did they get there? I looked at the ceiling and wanted only one thing - to hide.
It is not known how long Zhenya lay in the transformer booth. Maybe two, maybe three hours. His friend, who was responsible for what happened, did not say anything to anyone: apparently he was scared. Fortunately, fellow villager Evgeniy Velichenko was driving a cow to pasture and noticed Zhenya’s bicycle next to the transformer booth. Suspecting something was wrong, the man rushed inside, where he found the boy. “Just don’t tell your parents,” Zhenya whispered, as if in a dream. “I’ll lie down a little longer and go home.”
The garage where Zhenya’s father, Bogdan Stepanovich, worked was located about five hundred meters from the ill-fated booth, and Evgeny Fedorovich first rushed there. But before Zhenya’s father heard the terrible news, the head of the garage. “Bogdan! Get in the car and let’s go!” - That’s all he said to his subordinate. And a few minutes later the car was already rushing towards the regional center. “Just don’t sleep!” - Zhenya’s father begged him while they were driving to the hospital. Most of all, he was afraid that the child would close his eyes and never open them again.
Zhenya's amputated arms were buried in a rural cemetery
Svetlana Evgenievna saw her son already in the hospital and almost fainted. And then “Amputate the arms”, “Take the limbs from the morgue” - these terrible phrases pierced my consciousness, but it refused to perceive them.
Through tears, Zhenya’s mother tells me how she “died” with her son, when two operating teams simultaneously amputated both of his arms for several hours. How she kissed Zhenya’s hands in the morgue, which they gave her in plastic bags, how she sobbed inconsolably over them
They decided to bury the amputated arms in a rural cemetery, next to the grave of Zhenya’s grandmother. Moreover, this had to be done immediately, since it was hot outside. But how can you leave your son alone? Svetlana Evgenievna called a relative and asked her to put the bag with her hands in the refrigerator, but she refused: she would have been glad to help, but she could not cross the psychological barrier. Fortunately, the car from the village arrived earlier than expected, and the packages were sent with it.
To this day, Svetlana Evgenievna still has Zhenya’s hands before her eyes: on her right hand there was virtually no palm left - it was burnt, on the left hand, on the contrary, it was almost normal, but further, up to the elbow, it was just a solid piece of coal. Zhenya himself even now feels both palms and elbows that are not there. Neurosurgeons say that this indicates the possibility of so-called phantom pain, the “signals” of which are formed in the parts of the brain that control pain sensations. To prevent phantom pain, long-term and expensive treatment is needed.
Svetlana Evgenievna is next to her son all the time. During the first weeks, doctors could not even guarantee that the boy would survive. But one crisis passed, then another - and the doctors breathed a sigh of relief. At some point, Zhenya suddenly said that it would be better if he died. But the thirst for life turned out to be stronger. The boy learned to overcome the pain, and today, talking about his feelings, Zhenya is amazingly calm. He doesn't complain or go into detail. As if it wasn’t his body where flaps of skin were cut off for transplantation, as if islands of healing flesh weren’t turning purple on him. I’m scared to look at this, but how does he feel?
Zhenya can only look at the fluffy toy lion
And Zhenya craves activity. He reads and prays a lot, asking God for a speedy recovery. And Santa Claus under New Year the boy “ordered” health. And the only gifts I wanted to receive were soft toy- definitely a lion. Why a lion? Because this is Zhenya's zodiac sign. Horoscopes say that people born under this sign must control the situation. And Zhenya succeeds in this so far. And the toy lion he received as a gift strengthens his faith in his own strength. There is only one thing that upsets the boy - that he cannot pet Leva, pat him on the back of the neck, or hold him close.
Zhenya receives letters every week from her home village - from classmates and teachers. The kids report: “They have already introduced a twelve-point system in us. And there’s also a club in the village” “Our classy kerivnika Daria Petrivna is gone now - she broke her collarbone and is now at home”, “During class we started working on the style” And Zhenya, out of habit, wants to grab a pen and write an answer. The next second he thinks about how beautiful his handwriting was. And I could tell the kids a lot: how I went to the festive Khreshchatyk with my parents, how big and beautiful the Christmas tree was in the capital, how they took pictures near it with the real Snow Maiden and Santa Claus But Zhenya cannot write. Mom reports the news to her grandmother on the phone, and she tells it to her fellow villagers.
Zhenya is drawn home, to Kotsyubinchiki, to school, say the boy’s parents. — Most of all, he misses physical education, labor and Christian ethics - he always went to these lessons with pleasure. And the strangest thing is that he desperately lacks communication. Before the accident, it used to be that you couldn’t get a word out of him, but now he’s ready to talk about everything day and night.
Zhenya regularly asks doctors about the specifics of each procedure, and the doctors privately call him “professor.” And he had already told his mother about those moments of his life that she had never hoped to find out about: Zhenya was always eager for pranks, but he never told what he came up with and created. “They didn’t recognize” their granddaughter and grandparents, who came to visit him in Kyiv. The boy chatted incessantly, asking about everything. He also shared his anxiety: I used to dream of following in my father’s footsteps - becoming a driver or tractor driver, but now without arms - how?
The parents promised to buy prosthetics, but Zhenya knows that they are very expensive, and the family has no money. And the treatment would have been much more difficult if not for the help of the People’s Deputy of Ukraine Rostislav Schiller. The 7,000 hryvnia that he gave the boy for treatment is a fantastic amount for the Klopotyuks, and they thank God that they “got” such a sensitive person. The Klopotyuk family and fellow villagers did not remain indifferent to the misfortune: they donated as much as they could to Zhenya “to the hospital.” Financial support was provided by both the district and all village councils in the district.
The Klopotyuks hoped to get insurance for their son (this summer, when he was vacationing in a sanatorium, Zhenya was insured), but a problem arose. The prosecutor's office requested a certificate from the local RES (district power grid). And they answered that RES had nothing to do with Zhenya’s injury: they say, the booth was closed, and if the boy broke the lock, then no one is to blame. This is the story.
The management of the Distribution Zone is not yet willing to take responsibility for what happened.
But Svetlana Evgenievna and Bogdan Stepanovich are immensely grateful to the doctors. Ternopil and Kyiv doctors Vladimir Bigunyak, Petr Komar, Ivan Murovany, Nikolai Povstyany, Sergei Staskevich and others have done and continue to do everything possible and even impossible so that the boy can sit at his desk again next September. But what will it be like for him to study?
Functional changes in Zhenya’s brain that arose as a result of injury and manifested in an increase in the child’s contact ability allow us to hope that the boy will be socially adapted, says Georgiy Koverkov, head of the department of urgent pediatric neurosurgery at the Institute of Neurosurgery of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. - However, for this, the boy needs full-fledged functional, and not “cosmetic” prostheses - “new” hands, thanks to which he could be able to serve himself and realize himself in some profession.
The head of the burn department of the Kyiv City Burn Center of Clinical Hospital N2, where Zhenya is currently being treated, Lyudmila Sochienkova, shares the same opinion. For the social and psychological rehabilitation of a boy, she believes, it is necessary, above all, the sensitive attitude of others and the help of a professional psychologist. But, unfortunately, a psychologist in public hospitals is not yet included in the staffing table. And Zhenya needs him so much! After all, constructive changes in the child’s psyche - love of life, sociability, openness, positive emotions - are nothing more than the result of the attention and kind attitude towards the boy of those who were nearby in difficult moments of his life.
P.S. When the material was already prepared for printing, I managed to get through to Chortkiv Distribution Zone. Its chief engineer, Kazimir Bezpalko, claims that there was a lock on the door of the transformer booth, but the children tore it off, wanting to get inside. For what? In search of metal, of course! The fact that this cannot be done, according to Kazimir Mikhailovich, should have been explained to children at school and at home.
When we applied to the RES for a certificate, they told us so too,” Svetlana Evgenievna sighed. “But the whole village knows that the booth has been unlocked for several years now.”
I would like to hope that the local prosecutor's office will figure out why the accident actually happened.
Update: October 2018
Electrical injury refers to damage to organs and systems due to electric shock. The main causes of death from electric shock are respiratory arrest and... After a strong electric shock, if a person survives, complications may develop from the cardiovascular, central nervous system, hearing, etc.
Most often, accidents occur when:
- ignorance or non-compliance with safety rules when using electrical appliances
- faulty household appliances in everyday life, electrical equipment in enterprises
- broken wires of high-voltage lines
The degree of damage to the human body depends on the way the current passes through the body, the strength and voltage of the current, the time of exposure, health status, age, as well as the timeliness of providing first aid to the victim.
Types of electric shock
- electric shock (shock)- effects on the entire body, it does not cause burns, but leads to respiratory and/or cardiac paralysis
- electrical injury- defeat external parts body: electrical marks, burns, metallization of the skin.
The effects of electric currents on the body
- Thermal - due to the resistance of body tissues, electrical energy turns into thermal energy, causing electrical burns at characteristic points of entry and exit of current, which are called current signs. As thermal energy passes through tissue, it changes and destroys it.
- Electrochemical- leads to thickening and gluing of blood cells, the movement of ions and a change in the charge of protein molecules, the formation of vapors and gases. The affected tissues take on a cellular appearance.
- Biological - the functioning of the skeletal muscles of the heart, nervous and other systems is disrupted.
Symptoms of Electric Shock
- An unexpected fall of a person on the street or an unnatural throwing away from a power source by an invisible force
- Pronounced involuntary muscle contractions
- Loss of neurological functions - memory loss, impaired understanding of speech and vision, impaired orientation in space, changes in skin sensitivity, pupil reaction to light.
- Ventricular fibrillation and - irregular pulse and irregular breathing
- Burns on the body with sharply defined boundaries/
Signs of current on the skin
These are areas of necrosis of external tissues at the points of entry and exit of electric current due to the transition of energy from electrical to thermal. Electrical burns are rarely limited to just marks on the skin; more often deeper tissues are damaged: muscles, tendons, bones. There are options when the lesion is localized under externally intact skin.
Consequences of electric shock
Nervous system
- loss of consciousness of varying degrees and duration;
- memory loss (retrograde amnesia);
- convulsions;
- weakness and weakness;
- and headache;
- violation of thermoregulation;
- flickering in the eyes, blurred vision.
When nerves are damaged, sensitivity and motor activity in the limbs change, trophism is disrupted, and pathological reflexes arise. The passage of current through the brain leads to convulsions and loss of consciousness; in some cases, damage to the respiratory center leads to respiratory arrest.
High voltage current leads to profound disturbances in the activity of the central nervous system, inhibition of the respiratory center and regulation of cardiac activity, which leads to electrical lethargy, imaginary death, when it seems that breathing and heartbeat are absent, but in fact the activity is vital important systems reduced to a minimum. Timely initiation of resuscitation measures leads to successful restoration of systems operation.
Cardiovascular system
In most cases, disruptions in cardiac activity of a functional nature are observed:
- extrasystole;
- heart blockades.
Electrical shock to the heart muscle can lead to disruption of contractile function, leading to fibrillation, when the myocardial fibers begin to contract in an irregular rhythm, and the heart cannot pump blood, which is equivalent in severity to cardiac arrest. Damage to blood vessels leads to bleeding.
Respiratory system
Inhibition or cessation of respiratory activity occurs due to damage to the respiratory center in the brain. The passage of current through the lung tissue leads to contusion and rupture of the lungs.
Sense organs
- hearing loss;
- touch disorder;
- rupture of the eardrum;
- middle ear injury;
- keratitis;
- choroiditis;
- cataract.
Striated and smooth muscles
- Spasm and contraction of muscle fibers can lead to cramps.
- Strong contraction of skeletal muscles can result in fractures of the spine and tubular bones.
- Spasm of the muscular layer of the vascular wall leads to increased pressure or myocardial infarction (in the case of spasm of the cardiac arteries).
Long-term complications
- CVS: disturbance of cardiac conduction, heart rhythm, obliterating endarteritis, arteriosclerosis;
- Nervous system: neuritis, encephalopathy, trophic ulcers, autonomic changes;
- Sense organs: cataracts, hearing and vision impairment;
- Musculoskeletal system: contractures (limited range of motion, inability to bend a limb), deformities.
Factors influencing the nature and severity of electrical injury
Kind and power and voltage
- More than 1000-volt current leads to severe damage, even death, without even touching the source, but being very close - within walking distance from the current source (the so-called “voltaic arc”).
- Alternating current is more dangerous than direct current
- Low frequency current affects internal organs
- High frequency – the surface of the skin, without causing death.
The path of current through the body is a current loop
Electrical injury at home
- The most dangerous options are a complete loop, including 2 arms and 2 legs, arm-arm, since the current flows through the heart.
- No less dangerous is the hand-head, when the current passes through the brain.
Tissue resistance and current density
Current density refers to the amount of current passing through a unit area. Energy is concentrated when current passes through a smaller area. For example, if an electric current passes through the hand, the current density increases in the joint area.
Current duration
The longer the current lasts, the stronger the damage and the greater the likelihood of death.
- The high voltage current leads to a sharp contraction of the muscles; a person can even be thrown forcefully away from the current source.
- Low voltage current provokes muscle spasm, leading to prolonged involuntary gripping of the conductor by hands. Over time, skin resistance decreases, so it is necessary to interrupt the contact of the victim with the conductor as soon as possible.
External factors
The severity of the damage increases in conditions of high humidity (baths, bathrooms), as well as with electric shock in water, and the damage is stronger in salt water than in fresh water (the more dissolved salts in the water, the better the electrical conductivity of the water).
Body condition
The danger of electric shock increases against the background of exhaustion, alcohol or drug intoxication, chronic diseases, old age and childhood.
Why are there frequent cases of death in the bathtub due to contact with household appliances?
Damp and wet skin plays a fatal role. Such skin has less resistance to electrical energy and, accordingly, the damaging effect is always stronger even when exposed to devices with a seemingly low voltage of 110 V, for example, from a hair dryer or radio. In addition, a wet body practically guarantees the formation of the most dangerous current loop through vital organs.
Degrees of electric shock - classification
First aid algorithm for electric shock
All actions must be carried out very quickly, without delays, unnecessary conversations and reasoning. Timely provision of assistance can save lives and reduce the severity of electrical injury.
Whatever the condition of the victim, you should immediately call an ambulance or take the person to medical institution. Death from electric shock can occur within a few hours. The external picture does not reflect internal damage after electric shock.
Stop contact of the victim with the current conductor as quickly as possible
Assess the state of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and whether the person is conscious
Lightly pat the cheek, ask basic questions. If necessary, carry out resuscitation measures:
- check for breathing: see if there are breathing movements of the chest, bring a mirror/glass to the mouth and nose, which will fog up when there is breathing, or a thin thread that should deviate when breathing;
- determine pulse on the carotid artery by pressing the area of its projection with your fingers;
- clear the airway for further rescue: place the palm of one hand on the victim’s forehead, lift the chin with two fingers of the other hand, push the lower jaw forward and tilt the head back. If a fracture of the spine is suspected, these actions are prohibited; if the tongue sinks, it is permissible to fix it to the cheek with a pin.
Primary resuscitation of the victim (in the absence of pulse and breathing)
- Indirect cardiac massage- most effective within the first 3 minutes after cardiac arrest. The patient lies on his back on a flat surface, the rescuer's arms straightened at the elbows are located in the middle of the chest between the nipples. Perform 100 rhythmic compressions for 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. If impossible this method It is permissible to use only indirect cardiac massage.
- Duration of resuscitation measures- 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. The maximum duration is 30 minutes, further action is not advisable except for those patients who are exposed to cold temperatures.
- Drug treatment(carried out by an ambulance resuscitation team). If the above measures are unsuccessful, 1 ml of adrenaline 0.1% is injected within 2-3 minutes (intramuscular, intravenous or intracardiac); as well as calcium chloride 10% - 10 ml, strophanthin 0.05% - 1 ml, diluted in 20 ml of 40% glucose solution.
- Primary treatment of burns consists of applying a dry gauze bandage.
- Painkillers - if the person remains conscious until the ambulance arrives, the person can be given painkillers and sedatives.
- Transportation of the victim to the hospital is carried out in a supine position and covered with a warm blanket.
Inpatient treatment after electric shock
- It is carried out in intensive care, and in the absence of signs of burn or electric shock - in the surgical department.
- The complex of treatment depends on the indications: from a simple toilet and dressing of burn wounds to complex surgical interventions to restore damaged organs and tissues.
- Even in the absence of local damage and satisfactory condition, the patient is in the department under observation to prevent long-term reactions from systems and organs.
- Serious electrical injuries require long-term rehabilitation.
Features of lightning damage
Damaging factors: electric current, sound and light energy, shock wave. The effects of lightning are similar to high voltage electric shock.
- Symmetrical injuries are characteristic: paresis of two limbs, paraplegia.
- The current signs have a bizarre, convoluted shape and are distinguished by their long duration.
If you find a thunderstorm outside, you should not hide under trees, lean against metal objects, and especially not be in water.
Some facts
- The first officially recorded death from electric shock occurred in France, in 1879, when a carpenter became a victim of alternating current.
- The frequency of electrical injuries in developed countries is 2-3 cases per 100 thousand population.
- The risk group consists of young people 25-40 years old, and men are 4 times more likely to die from electrical injuries than women.
Protection against electric shock
Means of protection against electric shock:
- Insulating pads and supports;
- Gloves, caps, galoshes and dielectric mats;
- Portable grounding;
- Tools with insulated handles;
- Special protective clothing;
- Protective screens, partitions, chambers for protection against current;
- Warning signs and posters.
Operating rules:
- Minimize the time spent in the hazardous area near the devices;
- You should only approach current sources at a distance that is equal to the length of the insulating part of the protective equipment.
- When working with devices with voltages of 330 kV or more, the use of special clothing is mandatory.
- In conditions of rain and thunderstorms, all work must be suspended.
