Electric Burn Injury and Cardiac Autonomic Function

Abstract

Electrical injuries are a common form of mechanical trauma that can cause significant damage to the skin and underlying tissues, as well as potentially affect other systems of the body, including the cardiovascular system. Electric burn injury can affect cardiac autonomic function, potentially leading to arrhythmias and heart failure. The autonomic nervous system plays a critical role in regulating cardiac function, acting as the primary regulator of heart rate and contractility. The balance between the two systems, sympathetic and parasympathetic, is essential for optimal cardiovascular function and can be assessed through measures of cardiac autonomic function. The most commonly utilized method is using the electrocardiogram (ECG) in combination with the impedance cardiogram (ICG). The pre-ejection period (PEP) can be extracted from ECG during the left ventricular ejection as a measure of cardiac sympathetic control, and the respiratory sinus arrhythmia can be extracted from ECG during respiration as a measure of cardiac parasympathetic control. This literature review explores the current understanding of how electric burn injury affects cardiac autonomic function and its potential influence on cardiac function. It also emphasize the need of further research to understand the precise mechanisms involved in the effects of electric burn injury on cardiac autonomic function and to develop effective treatment strategies to prevent adverse cardiovascular outcomes.