|  | Conditions Treatments | Burns

Types of Electrical Burns

Electrical burns are created by electrical currents passing through an individual's body. These types of burns can create both external and internal damage. Injuries caused by electrical currents include burning of the skin, blunt trauma, nerve and internal tissue damage. There are two types of electrical burns, categorized by voltage and affecting the body to different degrees. However, while their force may differ, they also share common elements.

  1. Elements of Electrical Burns

    • The two types of electrical burns are low-voltage and high-voltage burns. In some cases, such as those involving low-voltage currents, the burn may be only minor. There are four potential elements linked to either type of burn. The first element involves any damage caused by the contact of the electrical current, which can cause the temperature of the skin to rise to more than 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. The second element is created by the arcing of the current and more often accompanies high-voltage injuries. (The website Burnsurgery.org describes arcing as the "Ionization of air particles associated with a voltage drop." ) The third are flash burns, which occur as an effect of the current release from the electrical source or if clothing is set afire from contact with the current. The fourth and final element is not burn-related but may occur in connection with the other four elements; it involves muscle, organ and nerve injuries.

    High-Voltage Electrical Burns

    • High-voltage burns, or those with a voltage of 1,000 volts or higher, cause the greatest damage. When electrical currents of this magnitude make contact with the skin, they can cause the point of entry to reach a temperature of more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, creating immediate tissue damage and charring. Burns caused by arcing cause even more severe complications. The temperature in such instances can climb to 7,232 degrees Fahrenheit and can set an individual's clothes on fire. Burnsurgery.org notes that the resulting appearance of such burns can range from "small skin ulcerations with a depressed center and heaped-up edges" to what "would be expected from explosion since pieces of cutaneous tissue are often absent." High-voltage burns most often occur outdoors and within close distance of electrical lines or sources.

    Low-Voltage Electrical Burns

    • Unlike high-voltage electrical burns, the damage trajectory of low-voltage burns is much more limited. Low-voltage injuries are characterized as those occurring when individuals encounter electrical currents of 500 volts or less. Generally limited to small areas with little deep tissue or nerve damage, the damage area from these types of burns are small and will sometimes appear sunken or hollowed.

    Oral Electrical Burn

    • Categorized as low-voltage injuries, oral electrical burns are unique in that they account for the most common type of electrical burn among children, particularly those ages 1 to 2 years old who bite or suck on electrical cords. Depending on the extent of the burn, oral electrical burns can affect not only the lips and tongue but also the bone. In addition to the contact sight burn, swelling will also occur, and the overall burn may take weeks to heal.

Burns - Related Articles