Abstract
Background:Lightning strikes are rare but potentially lethal. The risk for suffering a lightning strike in a mountainenvironment is unknown. The aim of this nationwide study was to analyse all lightning accidents in the AustrianAlps from 2005 to 2015, to assess the circumstances of the accident, the injury pattern as well as the outcome.Methods:From 2005 to 2015, data from the national Austrian Alpine Police database as well as the Clinical InformationSystem of Innsbruck Medical University Hospital were searched for the keywords lightning injury, lightning strike, lightningas well as ICD-10 Code T75.0. Additionally, the archive data of Innsbruck Medical University Hospital was searchedmanually.Results:The Austrian Alpine Police database, containing 109.168 patients for the years 2005–2015, was screened forlightning accidents. Sixty-four patients had been hit by lightning in the Austrian Alps, 54 were male. Four persons diedon scene; survival rate was 93.8%. Two deceased persons were hunters, who were killed by the same lightning strike.Sixty-three patients suffered a lightning strike while doing a recreational activity, mostly hiking (n=55),afewhuntingand only one doing occupational timberwork. Sixty-three patients suffered a lightning strike between June and Augustwith nearly half (46.9%) of the accidents happening on a Saturday or Sunday, and mainly (95.3%) between 12:00 and22:00 h.Discussion:Persons who perform recreational outdoor and occupational activities in an alpine environment duringsummer and after noon incur a higher risk of sustaining a lightning strike. The primary risk group includes young malemountaineers and hunters. The mortality rate was low.Trial registration:The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Innsbruck (AN4757315/4.4) and retrospectively registered with Clinical TrialsNCT03405467, January 19, 2018.