Which type of burn injury should be followed up by scheduling an electrocardiogram (ECG)?

• A. Flame burn
• B. Chemical burn
• C. Electrical burn
• D. Radiation burn

Answer: (C)

Electrical burns involve current passing through the body and can injure the heart's conduction system. Because this can trigger arrhythmias or other cardiac rhythm disturbances, an ECG is scheduled to detect and monitor these problems early, even if the external skin injuries seem minor. The ECG helps identify issues like conduction blocks or ischemic changes that might require specific treatment or monitoring. Other burn types—flame, chemical, and radiation—primarily cause local tissue damage and systemic effects rather than direct electrical injury to the heart, so they do not inherently require an ECG as part of their initial assessment.