High-voltage shocks can cause burns to the internal organs as well as the skin. A high-voltage shock is electrical energy that is greater than 500 volts up to about 1,000 volts. The electrical current injures tissue by heating the cells as the electrons pass through the body. Burns can occur at the point where the body made contact with the electrical source, the point where the electricity exits the body and all along the path through the body between the entry and exit points.
The heart is especially sensitive to electrical shock. In fact, electricity can restart a heart that has stopped beating. Low-voltage DC current, between 300 to 500 mA can cause ventricular fibrillation. As little as 1 mA can stop the heart beating if the DC current is in direct contact with the heart. Ventricular fibrillation can be fatal, because the rhythm of the heartbeat is disrupted as heart cells contract independently. A high-voltage DC shock can result in asystole, or no electrical activity in the heart, which can be fatal.
Injury to the nervous system and to the brain can result from contact with high-voltage DC electricity. Electricity can disrupt the nervous system control over the heart and lungs. The passage of high-voltage electricity through the head can result in immediate loss of consciousness and confusion upon regaining consciousness. Long-term affects may include permanent seizures, anxiety, depression and possible personality changes due to injury to brain tissue.
Contact with high voltage DC current can stop the victim's breathing. The electrical current can cause the muscles of the chest to seize, which can lead to respiratory arrest. Respiratory arrest is more likely if the point of contact with the current is at the chest area. Damage to the lung tissue is less likely, because the tissue is not as susceptible to electricity as the surrounding muscles that help control breathing.