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A Storm, An Explosion, and Flying Rocks - An Unusual Injury due to a Lightning Strike in the Mountains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2022

Sylweriusz Kosiński Open the ORCID record for Sylweriusz Kosiński [Opens in a new window] ,
Dawid Aleksandrowicz  and
Zofia Serafinowicz
Sylweriusz Kosiński*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
Dawid Aleksandrowicz
Affiliation:
Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Zofia Serafinowicz
Affiliation:
Tytus Chalubinski’s Hospital, Zakopane, Poland
*
Correspondence: Sylweriusz Kosinski, MD, PhD, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Health Sciences, Piotra Michałowskiego 12, 31-126Kraków, Poland, E-mail: sylweriusz.kosinski@uj.edu.pl
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Abstract

Background:

Most injuries observed in victims of lightning strikes can be explained by electrothermal phenomena. Blast penetrating injuries caused by a lightning-strike-induced explosion of a nearby structure are rarely reported.

Case Presentation:

Here reported is the case of a patient with numerous mixed injuries caused by a lightning strike, including deep lacerations of both hips and thighs with rock fragments embedded in the wounds. Surgical removal of rock fragments from deep areas of the right hip and right lower leg was necessary. The cause of the formation of rock missiles was the lightning-strike-induced explosion of rock. Rapid evaporation of water enclosed in rock crevices was presumably the main force underlying the explosion.

Conclusion:

Blast penetrating injuries should be considered and excluded in all patients struck by lightning, particularly when occurring in rocky terrain. The diagnosis and treatment of such injuries can be difficult and require special preparation.

Keywords

blast injurykerauno medicinelightningpenetrating injury
Type
Case Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 547 - 549
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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