Use of Early Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Following Lightning Strike–Induced Acute Lung Injury

Lightning is a life-threatening natural phenomenon. It has an electrical potential of 100-300 million volts and is capable of producing heat of up to 3000°C. Fortunately, in the United Kingdom lightning strike injury is relatively uncommon, affecting 30-60 people annually with a mortality of approximately 5-10%. The probability of being struck by lightning is 1 in 1.2 million, and the probability of death is 1 in 33 million – resulting in approximately 3 deaths annually.1