Citation

Singh SK, Jain P, Sinha JK. Br. J. Plast. Surg. 1999; 52(2): 149-151.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1054/bjps.1998.3029

PMID

10434896

Abstract

Low-voltage electrical injuries are relatively uncommon. Injury caused by flow of heavy current due to short-circuiting a low-voltage battery has not been described in the English literature. A 9-year-old boy connected two thin household electrical wires to the two terminals of a 6 volt (lead accumulator) battery and pressed the other two ends between his teeth. This resulted in a blast causing a compound comminuted fracture of the mandible and extensive tissue damage in the oral cavity. The low internal resistance of a lead accumulator (approximately 0.03 ohms) permits the flow of a heavy current (approximately 200 amps) when short-circuited. This instantaneously vaporises a minuscule portion of wire at approximately 2000 K resulting in a sudden rise of intraoral pressure to 30 kg cm-2 leading to tissue damage.

Language: en