Harnessing Thor's Hammer: Experimentally induced lightning trauma to human bone by high impulse current.

ABSTRACT: Lightning fatality identification relies primarily on soft tissue traumatic pattern recognition, prohibiting cause of death identification in cases of full skeletonisation. This study explores the effects of high impulse currents on human bone, simulating lightning-level intensities and characterising electrically induced micro-trauma through conventional thin-section histology and micro-focus X-ray computed tomography (μXCT). An experimental system for high impulse current application was applied to bone extracted from donated cadaveric lower limbs (n = 22). μXCT was undertaken prior to and after current application. Histological sections were subsequently undertaken. μXCT poorly resolved micro-trauma compared to conventional histology which allowed for identification and classification o

SUBMITTER: Bacci N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8710840 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature