A Case Report of Pain and its Treatment Following Nerve Damage Due to Electrical Injury

Abstract

Background: Electrical injuries, particularly those caused by high voltage, are characterized by multi-organ damage, such as skin burns and cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and other system injury. In this case, due to precautions based on his professional experience and knowledge, an electrician could reduce the impact of an electrical injury, resulting in less skin injury, but could not avoid nervous system injury, presenting as visual disturbances, deafness and pain after high voltage electrification. We present his post-injury pain management using analgesic adjuvants.

Case presentation: A 39-year-old male electrician experienced a 5000-volt electrical injury while working. He was able to avoid fatal injuries such as respiratory and cardiac arrest, and sustained no skin burns, but presented with visual disturbances, deafness, pain and paresthesia in both his upper extremities. Considering that the pain and paresthesia were caused by direct electrical damage to nerves, we prescribed analgesic adjuvants (mirogabalin, amitriptyline, clonazepam) as for neuropathic pain, with subsequent improvement in the pain and paresthesia.

Conclusion: High-voltage injury is commonly associated with high morbidity and mortality. In this case, the electrical injury caused isolated nervous system injury. This report shows the efficacy of adjuvant analgesics for the treatment of nerve damage pain after electrical injury.