Diagnostic points of skin vasoconstriction in a reticulated pattern

Skin vascular constriction in a reticular pattern is thought to be characteristic of a lightning injury. Electrical shock injury is an injury caused by the passage of electric current through the body. They are usually caused by inadvertent electrocution or lightning strikes. When a person is struck by lightning, heartbeat and respiration often stop immediately, accompanied by myocardial damage, followed by myoglobulinuria and a reticular pattern of vasoconstriction of the skin, which is thought to be characteristic of a lightning injury. This is followed by myosinuria. Lighter cases after electrocution only show painful muscle contractions, panic, pallor, headache, dizziness, and palpitations. Severe cases can lead to loss of consciousness, shock, cardiac and respiratory arrest, and often severe ventricular arrhythmias, pulmonary edema, gastrointestinal bleeding, coagulopathy, and acute renal insufficiency after electric shock. Special clinical attention should be paid to the possibility that the injured person has multiple injuries, including mandatory muscle damage, visceral organ damage, and internal and external burns. Survivors may have cardiac and neurological sequelae. Severe burns from high-voltage electrocution are common at the site of current entry and exit. The most striking feature of electrocution trauma is that the trauma to the skin is small, while the deep tissue damage under the skin is extensive. The diagnosis can be made based on the patient’s history of electrocution and the circumstances at the scene. Should understand whether there are episodes of falling from a height or being thrown away by electric shock. Pay attention to the possibility of cervical pulp injury, fracture and visceral injury. Measurement of blood LDH, CK and amylase, detection of urinary myoglobin and hemoglobin can assist in determining the degree of tissue damage. Differential diagnosis】 Some patients with electrocution have extremely weak heartbeat and respiration, or even temporary cessation, in a state of “pseudo-death”, which should be carefully identified and not easily abandoned for resuscitation of the electrocution victim.