A:
An injury with electricity like the one you mention is common. It seems the electric shock your daughter had was a low voltage one. Home outlets tend have a voltage of only 110 volts. If the doctors who examined your child in the ER had any concerns about the heart, they would have continued to monitor her heart rhythm.
When the body comes in contact with electricity, the electrical current passes right through it. This results in a shock. Whether or not there is anything to worry about depends on how:
- High or low the voltage was
- Long the body was in contact with the electricity
Most of the time, an electrical shock causes only mild discomfort. There can be minor burns on the skin. There are usually signs of entrance and exit wounds (or burns) on the surface of the skin.
Although internal burns can also be present, these are more likely to occur with electric shocks from higher voltages. These can cause bigger problems, like damage to internal organs.
As for your childs heart, only a very small percentage of injuries from electric shock cause an irregular heart beat. Most of these rhythm problems show up within the first few hours after the injury. Then, the heart adjusts and goes back to its normal pattern of beating on its own.
The best way to prevent this from happening again is to be sure all electrical outlets are covered, make sure all wires are in good shape and out of your childs reach, and always have an adult watching children playing near any electrical hazards.
Henry H. Bernstein, D.O., is a senior lecturer in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. In addition, he is chief of General Academic Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth and professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. He is the former associate chief of General Pediatrics and director of Primary Care at Children's Hospital Boston. 
