ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS IN SURVIVORS OF ACUTE ELECTRICAL INJURY

This report describes for the first time (to our knowledge) persistent left ventricular dysfunction in survivors of electrical injury. Two young men who were resuscitated following electrocution by high tension wires underwent echocardiographic examination after injury. Early studies demonstrated wall motion abnormalities with no to only partial recovery on follow-up. In contrast to a previous report of totally reversible left ventricular dysfunction in a similar setting, these cases suggest that the degree of permanent dysfunction following electrical injury is variable.