PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY

The painful shock produced by electricity is well known to most people.

The shock results from a current passing through the body. An
electrical current has two effects on body tissue. The current stimulates
nerves and muscle fibers, which produces pain and a contraction of
muscles, and it also heats the tissue through dissipation of electrical
energy. Both of these effects, if sufficiently intense, can cause severe
injury or death. But if the electrical current is applied in a controlled
way, both the heating and the muscle stimulation can be beneficial. For
example, local heating of tissue by high-frequency electric currents
promotes healing in much the same way as by ultrasonic diathermy.
The amount of current flowing through the body is governed by Ohm´s
law. Thus, it depends on the voltage of the source and the electrical
resistance of the body. The body tissue is a relatively good conductor.
Since most of the electrical resistance is in the skin, the danger of
electrical shock increases if the skin is wet at the point of contact.
Most people begin to feel an electrical current when it reaches a
magnitude of about500 μA . A 5 mA current causes pain, and currents
larger than about 10 mA produce sustained tetanizing contraction of
some muscles. This is a dangerous situation because under these
conditions the person cannot release the conductor that is delivering
the current into his or her body.
The brain, the respiratory muscles, and the heart are all very seriously
affected by large electric currents. Currents in the range of a few
hundred milliamperes flowing across the head produce convulsions
resembling epilepsy. Currents in this range are used in electric shock
therapy to treat certain mental disorders.
Current in the range of a few amperes flowing in the region of the heart
can cause death within a few minutes. In this connection, a large
current of about 10 A is often less dangerous than a 1 A current. When
the smaller current passes through the heart, it may tetanize only part
of the heart, thereby causing a desynchronization of the heart action;
this condition is called fibrillation. The movements of the heart become
erratic and ineffective in pumping blood. Usually fibrillation does not
stop when the current source is removed. A large current tetanizes the
whole heart, and when the current is discontinued the heart may
resume its normal rhythmic activity.
Fibrillation often occur during a heart attack and during cardiac
surgery. The tetanizing effect of large currents can be used to
synchronize the heart. A clinical device designed for this purpose is
called a defibrillator. A capacitor in this device is charged to about
6.000 V and stores about 200 J of energy. Two electrodes connected to
the capacitor through a switch are placed on the chest. When the
switch is closed, the capacitor rapidly discharges through the body.
The current pulse lasts about 5 msec , during which the heart is tetanized.
After de pulse, the heart may resume its normal beat. Often the heart
must be shocked a few times before it resynchronizes.
Electric current can also be used to stimulate muscles more gently. We
have already mentioned the electric stimulation of paralyzed skeletal
muscles to maintain their tone. Heart muscles can be triggered in a
similar way. In some heart diseases, the pacemaker cells that control
the timing of the heart-beat cease to function properly, and electronic
pacemakers have been very useful. The electronic pacemaker is
basically a pulse generator that produces short periodic pulses that
initiate and control the frequency of the heartbeat. The device can be
made small enough for surgical implantation. Unfortunately, the battery
that powers the pacemaker has a finite lifetime and must be replaced
every few years.