Lightning strikes (keraunomedicine)
Overview
Lightning injury is a distinct form of electrical trauma caused by a very large, extremely brief current impulse. Damage arises from a combination of direct electrical effects, thermal flashover, blast/concussive forces and secondary blunt trauma.
The very short duration of the strike often limits deep thermal injury, but preferential conduction along low‑resistance tissues (nerves, blood vessels) produces frequent and clinically important cardiopulmonary and neurological effects.
Emergency management combines standard resuscitation practice with recognition of characteristic injury patterns and early identification of burns, blast/trauma and delayed complications.
Key facts and epidemiology
- Exposure is very brief (about 1/1,000 to 1/10 second) but involves extremely high voltage and temperature.
- The field addressing lightning injury is called keraunomedicine.
- Reported global estimates suggest many thousands of strikes annually (order 10^5), with substantial mortality in some regions.
- In the UK about 50-70 people are struck each year and many survivors have long‑term disability.
- Typical demographics: males are affected approximately 4× more frequently than females and most cases occur in those aged about 20-45 years.
- Lightning in pregnancy carries a high fetal loss risk of roughly 50%.
- Source data summarized from Jensen et al. and Winterman; apply local epidemiology as relevant.