A case of acute myocardial infarction due to indirect lightning strike

Abstract Lightning strike is a natural phenomenon with potentially devastating effects and represents one of the leading causes of cardiac arrest and death from environmental phenomena. Almost every organ system may be impaired as lightning passes through the human body prefering the pathways that the lowest resistance betweem the contact points. Lightning can also have widespread effects on the cardiovascular system, producing extensive catecholamine release or autonomic stimulation. The victim may develop hypertension, tachycardia, nonspecific electrocardiographic changes (including prolongation of the QT interval and transient T-wave inversion), and myocardial necrosis with release of creatine phosphokinase-MB fraction. We present the case of a 13-year-old boy with acute myocardial infarction secondary to an indirect lightning strike.