In cases of lightning or high-voltage electrical injuries, what is the recommended approach?

• A. Immediate assessment of airway
• B. Use caution and assess mechanism of injury carefully.
• C. Ignore injuries if patient is stable
• D. Apply ice to burns

Answer: (B)

In electrical injuries, what happened matters as much as what you see on the surface, because the current can cause hidden and rapidly evolving problems. The best approach is to use caution and assess the mechanism of injury carefully. Understanding how the person was exposed to electricity or lightning tells you where there's a risk of ongoing hazards (like a live source you haven’t turned off) and what kinds of internal damage to watch for, such as heart rhythm problems, breathing difficulties, or spinal injuries from a fall.

External burns or a patient appearing stable don’t guarantee safety, since serious internal injury can occur with little or no visible sign. Immediate airway assessment is important, but it should be part of a broader assessment that starts with scene safety and mechanism, then proceeds to a full primary survey and monitoring. Ignoring injuries if the patient seems stable is risky, and applying ice to burns doesn’t address the potential for deep tissue damage or systemic effects in electrical injuries.