One type of injury is electric shock. Unfortunately, despite the fact that everyone knows about the dangers of devices and wires, this is still quite common. The most common electrical injuries received at work. This applies to those types of activities in which people work with various technical devices, wiring. In addition, you can get an electric shock at home. In most cases, this applies to children. Therefore, everyone should know what to do if an electric shock has occurred. Indeed, the sooner assistance is provided, the lower the risk of complications.
Causes of electrical injuries
Electric shock is one of the most dangerous types of injuries. With high voltage and prolonged contact with the source, it can be fatal. You can get injured due to various reasons. The most common of them is considered to be contact with a bare wire. This can happen to everyone, especially people working with electricity. The bare wire is a particularly dangerous source of current. Most often, electricians contact him during the repair of counters, sockets, etc. In addition, you can get an electric shock from ordinary devices that are used daily: a hairdryer, a kettle, charging from a mobile phone, and a microwave. Normally, all household appliances are not dangerous, since there is a protective layer on the wires. In case of breakdowns, its integrity is violated. As a result, a bare wire may occur. Therefore, broken appliances must be kept away from children! Indeed, despite a small dose of electricity, they can be dangerous to the health of the child. Another source of current are sockets.
You can get an electric shock not only indoors, but also on the street. A natural source of current is lightning. When exposed to the human body, it can lead not only to the formation of burns, but also cause death.
Electric shock: symptoms
Unfortunately, despite parental control, children are still exposed to electrical injuries. Most often this happens when the kids try to put their fingers or iron objects into the outlet. It is not always possible to see exactly how the child injured himself. Therefore, you need to know the symptoms that will worry the baby after contact with current. First of all, it is painful sensations. Regardless of the strength and duration of contact with the exposed device, the child will get scared and start screaming. If the baby is shocked by the hand, it is necessary to examine the surface of the skin. In case of local damage, “electrical signs” will be observed. They are gray or yellow spots that have clear boundaries. Touching them causes pain. General electrical injury is manifested by convulsive muscle contraction, in a severe case, accompanied by loss of consciousness.
What to do if electric shock: first aid
If there are signs of electrical injury, you should immediately help a person. First, remove the voltage source from the body. The termination of contact with electricity is the main measure. What to do if an electric shock and a person faints? In this case, you can’t panic. First you need to call an ambulance. After this, it is necessary to assess the condition of the victim. For this, the state of vital indicators is checked: pulse, blood pressure and respiration. In the absence of heart contractions, resuscitation measures should be taken immediately . These include:
- Ensuring the flow of oxygen. You need to open the window, free your neck from tight clothing, clean your mouth (if necessary).
- Throw back the victim’s head, push the lower jaw forward.
- Carry out a closed heart massage: press the xiphoid process 30 times with your palms pressed into the castle.
- Close the nose with one hand and perform 2 blows of air into the victim's mouth.
These measures must be repeated until spontaneous breathing and palpitations appear.
Current source elimination
You need to know that first aid for electric shock comes down to eliminating its source. In no case should you touch the victim or a bare wire with your hands. You can eliminate the source in the following ways:
- Turn off the electricity.
- Cut the wire with an ax. In this case, you need to hold it by the wooden handle.
If it is not possible to eliminate the source of electricity in these ways, then you can wrap your hands in a cloth and push the victim behind the clothes.
Treatment of affected skin
After the main measures have been taken, burns should be treated. An electric shock always leaves 2 marks on the body. They need to be found and washed with running water for several minutes. It is not necessary to process “current marks” with an antiseptic solution, as this can increase the depth of the lesion. After washing, wrap the skin with a cloth dampened in cold water.
Specialized care for electric shock
When all the measures have been completed, the question arises: what to do if electric shocks hit and first aid did not bring results? No matter how the victim feels, after removing the source of electricity, you need to call an ambulance. This is especially true when a person has lost consciousness. In severe injuries, the victim is hospitalized. In the hospital, detoxification and symptomatic therapy is performed. With convulsive syndrome, the drug "Diazepam" is administered.