Biomedical subjects

Mary Ann Cooper

Publications and source records attributed to Mary Ann Cooper.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors, International.

Prior to1989 no known support group existed for victims of lightning or electrical shock injury and their families. A lightning strike survivor of twenty years, Steve Marshburn, recognized the need both from his personal experience and after meeting two other survivors. With his wife and psychologist, he formed Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors International. The organization has grown nearly one hundredfold from the thirteen who attended the first annual meeting. The support group serves people from around the world, has produced a number of publications, participated in research about these injuries and has become active in prevention activities. This paper will describe some of the factors that have led to such success for the organization.

Community-Institutional Relations↗

PubMed2004

Chemical peritonitis from champagne.

Abdominal pain is a frequent presentation to the Emergency Department and it is often difficult to find a clear diagnosis. This is a unique case of a woman with worsening abdominal pain over 2 days with no clear etiology despite extensive, repeat evaluations with eventual spontaneous resolution. The diagnosis of chemical peritonitis was established when the patient revealed an extremely rare mechanism of injury the night before presentation that has never been described previously. Access to the abdominal cavity through the uterus has been documented by retrograde flow during menses, and through vigorous insufflation during oral sex leading to pneumoperitoneum. Passage of an exogenous fluid through the same mechanism mimicking an acute abdomen has never been documented. This entity presents another possible explanation for the frequently encountered abdominal pain that after thorough work-up does not have a definitive diagnosis.

Abdominal Pain↗

PubMed2003

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic evidence of increased free radical generation and selective damage to skeletal muscle following lightning injury.

The present case study examined changes in peripheral markers of free radical metabolism and skeletal/myocardial muscle damage 30 h after a mountaineer had survived a lightning storm, having experienced contact with what was considered to be "upward leaders" at 4200 m. Sea-level control data were available between 3 and 8 weeks prior to the altitude sojourn for comparative purposes. Follow-up measurements were obtained for the same individual 3 weeks following the incident after simulated exposure to the combined stresses of inspiratory hypoxia and physical exercise. Venous blood was assayed for molecular markers of skeletal [myoglobin and total creatine phosphokinase (CPK)] and myocardial [cardiac troponin I (cTnI)] muscle damage. Ex-vivo spin trapping with alpha-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was incorporated for the direct detection of free radicals. The relative increases [post-exposure/preexposure x 100 (%)] in the concentration of the PBN adduct, myoglobin, and CPK in the "lightning blood" were markedly greater than those observed following the simulation study (PBN: 276 vs. 129%; CPK: 1130 vs. 182%; myoglobin: 205 vs. 115%). In contrast, no changes were observed for cTnI. A marked decrease in the PBN adduct, myoglobin, and CPK was observed within 2 h of completing the simulation study, following oral administration of water and lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamins in normoxia. These findings are the first to document lightning-induced free radical generation and selective damage to skeletal muscle in a high altitude mountaineer. Furthermore, free radicals may contribute to the pathogenesis of lightning injury, and dietary supplementation with antioxidant vitamins may prove of some benefit against associated tissue damage.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

A large group of children struck by lightning.

We report on the largest case to date of children with significant injuries from a single lightning strike. A retrospective analysis was done of the camping scene and injuries to 28 people (26 preadolescent girls and 2 adult supervisors) and 7 dogs from a documented lightning strike. Of the 35 victims sleeping in the tent, 4 girls and 4 dogs were fatally injured. The 2 adults were unharmed, but 23 of the children suffered injuries including burns (23), cataracts (8), macular holes (4), tympanic membrane rupture (2), and skull fracture (2). Many of these injuries occurred more frequently than would be expected from prior large reviews and reports.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Lightning safety guidelines.

On average, lightning causes more casualties annually in the United States than any other storm-related phenomenon except floods. Although 90% of those injured survive, they may have permanent sequelae and disability. Many of these people incur injuries or are killed by lightning because of misinformation and inappropriate behavior during thunderstorms. A few simple precautions can reduce lightning injury risk. To standardize recommended actions during thunderstorms, the Lightning Safety Group (LSG), composed of lightning experts from many lightning-related backgrounds, met at the American Meteorological Society meeting Phoenix, AZ, in January 1998 to collectively address personal lightning safety. This paper is a summary of the recommendations developed by the LSG.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

A fifth mechanism of lightning injury.

The four classic electrical mechanisms of lightning injury cannot account for all injuries. A fifth mechanism, injury by a weak upward streamer that does not become part of a completed lightning channel, has long been postulated in the engineering literature by lightning researchers. This paper reports a case of death where injury from a weak upward streamer is strongly suspected following forensic investigation. Neither high voltage nor any of the previously accepted mechanisms of lightning injury can explain this incident.

Diagnosis, Differential↗