Put Your Lights On: Electrocution As a Cause of an Unexplained Fall and Loss of Consciousness

Abstract

Electrical accidents are not reported very frequently, and may occur undetected as the signs are often manifold and not very specific. We report the case of a 43-year-old woman admitted to hospital due to a fall of unclear cause, with loss of consciousness, partial amnesia, paresis of both legs and crush syndrome. Only by thorough and repeated history-taking, and a careful physical examination that revealed burns typical of electrical current injuries, was the case resolved. With this case presentation, we would like to make the reader aware of electrocution as a possible cause of bruises and unconsciousness of unclear origin. LEARNING POINTS Bruises and loss of consciousness of unclear origin should make one think of electric shock as a possible cause. Rhabdomyolysis and crush syndrome are rarely seen conditions in low-voltage current accidents. Thorough physical examination and careful history-taking are very important and can provide precious hints for our clinical work.

Neurological and neurourological complications of electrical injuries

“…Loss of consciousness: This is very common after an electrical injury of any kind, and can be the result of brain injury, cardiac complications, epilepsy or autonomic dysfunction [8]. However, it can also appear as the only reported symptom in cases of low-voltage electrical injury [68] or lightning [69] in which the patient is unaware of the accident.…”