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# Electric shock | |
Electric shock can cause burns and stop the heart. | |
Electric shock | |
* If a person is being shocked: Do not touch the person. The | |
electricity can pass through his body and shock anyone who touches | |
him. First, unplug or turn off the machine or tool causing the | |
shock. If you cannot turn off the power, use dry clothing, rope, | |
or a piece of wood, such as a broom handle, as a tool to separate | |
the victim from the power source. Do not use anything wet or made | |
of metal. If the person is lying in water, use the wood or cloth | |
to drag him out, and do not step in the water yourself! Then you | |
can move the person away from the source of electricity. | |
* Electric shock can cause breathing to stop. Start rescue | |
breathing. | |
* If there is no heartbeat try to start the heart by giving chest | |
compressions--press hard and fast on the middle of the chest. It | |
may take a long time. Keep trying. | |
* If the person is breathing and her heart is beating, look for | |
signs of burns. As with a gunshot wound, there should be both an | |
entry and exit burn. | |
* Check for other injuries. Mental confusion, nerve damage | |
(problems with feeling or movement), hearing loss, or circulation | |
problems can all arise. If the person fell, he may have a head | |
injury, broken bones, or bleeding. | |
rescue breathing | |
chest compressions | |
If the shock was low-voltage and the person has no sign of problems | |
after a few hours, he will likely be OK. If the shock was | |
high-voltage or from lightning, or if the person has lingering | |
problems, be more cautious. Burns inside the body can be much more | |
severe than burns on the skin where the electricity entered and left | |
the body. IV fluids and other remedies may be needed. It may take | |
days or weeks to know the real damage. | |
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