Citation

Tandberg D, Brown CM. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 1990; 8(4): 326-328.

Affiliation

Division of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque 87131.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2363756

Abstract

A 20-year-old woman was struck by lightning while seeking shelter under a tree. The discharge entered at the site of the victim's behind-the-ear type hearing aid, destroying it. She suffered cardiorespiratory arrest, burns, left ventricular failure, and myoglobinuria, yet recovered fully. It is widely known that carrying a metallic object such as an umbrella or golf club above one's head increases the risk of being struck. However, few people know that small metallic objects worn on the head are similarly dangerous. Persons caught outside in a lightning storm might decrease the probability of being struck by removing all metallic objects from their head.

Language: en