Electrothermic damage to the nail due to arcing in high-voltage discharge

Abstract

The burn effects in high-voltage electrocutions are manifold ranging from inconspicuous marks to deep charring. Apart from lesions caused by direct contact with a live conductor, the victim's body may suffer flash burns from arcing resulting in extensive scattered or confluent heat damage of the skin. In such cases, the nail plates of fingers and toes may undergo thermal changes which up to now have not been mentioned in the pertinent literature. Macroscopically, the nail shows a yellowish discoloration with tiny and closely arranged verruciform elevations. Histologically, the uppermost layer of the nail plate is interspersed with small vacuoles resembling micro-blisters as seen in the corneal layer of common electric marks. The surface of the nail is coated with a thin film of carbonaceous material. Based on an accidental high-voltage electrocution recently observed by the authors, attention is also drawn to the possible occurrence of contact burns from metal objects heated by the current as this finding is usually described only in victims of lightning strikes and not in the context of high-voltage discharges of technical electricity.

Keywords: Electrocution; Flash burn; Metallization; Micro-blisters; Nail plate; X-ray fluorescence.