Timing Is Everything

The longer a victim is exposed to an electric current, the greater the chance of critical injury. In addition to burns, there is also the loss of muscular control, breathing difficulties as the chest contracts involuntarily, and ventricular fibrillation of the heart. This last effect comes up repeatedly in any discussion of severe electric shock. It refers to rapid, irregular heartbeats and equally irregular fluttering of the heart muscle. It’s one thing to have your heart skip a beat or two because you’re head-over-heels in love, but it’s quite another to have its pumping activity disrupted because of a faulty circuit. The former usually is a lot of fun, but the latter can do you in if it goes on for too long.