Histological manifestations of muscle electroporation injury

Joule heating has long been considered the principal component of tissue damage in electrical injury. In the past decade it has been shown that electroporation, a nonthermally mediated mechanism of cell membrane damage, is also a major factor. The authors investigated the electric field dose dependent extent of electroporation-mediated muscle necrosis histopathologically in vivo. Pulsed electric fields approximately 150 V/cm were produced in hind limbs of anesthetized rats. Histopathologic examination revealed prominent hypercontraction band degeneration of myofibers. The observed skeletal muscle damage was strongly dose dependent. These results support the role of non-thermal electroporation-mediated tissue damage in the extremities of high-voltage electrical injury victims.