The patient will usually present with burns that are indistinguishable from thermal burns, except they may have a pattern counsistent with body part in contact with the source and the ground. For example, the patient may have burns on the hands from contact with the electrical source. The electricity then travels through the tissues of their body, causing injury. Finally, the electricity causes a burn where it exits the body, commonly on the feet, which are the “ground.” These patients are specifically at risk for cardiac damage if the path of the current traversed the heart. Patients may also present with injuries from falls caused by the electrical shock, such as long bone fractures, spinal fractures, or joint dislocations (classically posterior shoulder dislocations). Of note, patients who have experienced injuries from electrical shock may have no external injuries at all, such as when a person who drops a hair dryer in the water while in a bathtub.
