Lightning injury

Lightning injury can cause severe damage to many systems and often results in a high mortality. We report a case of sustained lightning injury in which a 54-year-old woman presented with heart failure, pulmonary edema and consciousness disturbance. The patient was found unconscious, lying face down on the ground of a trash dump on the day of a thunderstorm. No deformities were seen in the extremities, but scattered third degree burns (less than 1%) were found on her neck where her necklace had been. Ventilator and inotropic agents with an adequate fluid supply were used. A Swan-Ganz catheter was inserted for monitoring. The patient was discharged two weeks later with an uneventful clinical course, except for mild neurologic sequelae (amnesia, disorientation).