• N Stütz, D Weiss, and B Reichert.
• Abteilung für Plastische-, Hand und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Zentrum für Schwerbrandverletzte, Klinikum Nürnberg-Süd, Breslauerstrasse 201, 90471 Nürnberg. nicolasstuetz@yahoo.de
• Unfallchirurg. 2006 Jun 1; 109 (6): 495-8.

AbstractLightning injury is one of the most frequent injuries caused by a natural phenomenon, but the risk of being struck by lightning is low. The most vulnerable subjects for lightning injuries are individuals who work in open fields. Although lightning injuries may involve all organ systems, injuries to the cardiovascular system and central nervous system are the most frequent. Burns, tinnitus, blindness and secondary blunt trauma have also been reported. Even though immediate death through lightning-induced cardiac arrest is well documented, the majority of cases reported in the literature describe infrequent and enormously disparate sequelae.A 17-year-old man was admitted to our hospital approximately 3 h after a lightning strike. The Glasgow coma scale was recorded as 15/15 and partial thickness burns totaling of 11% were present on the chest, stomach and right and left lower leg. The entry point was approximately the right side of the neck and the current exited through the right foot. On arrival, the patient's vital signs were normal. Cardiac and pulmonary examinations were within normal limits. The patient suffered transient symptoms, including pain, loss of consciousness, tinnitus, iritis and paresthesia. The laboratory data obtained on admission were within normal limits except serum for WBC, CK, CK-MB, troponin and CRP. We postulate that the mechanism by which lightning caused injury to this patient was a flash discharge (side splash). During his stay in hospital, a debridement of the burn surface following graft coverage and Z-plasty to close the dehiscent wound on the right neck was performed. The patient was discharged from the hospital after 14 days.

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