Electrical parameters
affecting ventricular fibrillation
BRAND X PICTURES
IEEE INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS MAGAZINE
MAY j JUNE 2009
WWW.IEEE.ORG/IAS
ORE THAN 37 YEARS HAVE PASSED
M since Charles F. Dalziel published his last
of four seminal papers on ventricular
fibrillation (v-f ). His empirical formula
for the current necessary to produce v-f in man has been
recognized by scientists and engineers as forming the
basis for an analytical understanding of this major cause
of death from electrical shock. In this article, the addi-
tional electrical parameters of energy, voltage, and resist-
ance are related analytically to Dalziels work. The
relationship of these parameters to the likelihood of
v-f is established for humans, ranging in mass from 50
to 90 kg, i.e., 110198 lb in weight.
Electric shock can be defined as the immediate
effects produced by the passage of an electric current
through any part of the body, e.g., painful stimulation
of nerves or tetanic contractions of muscles. Such
18
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MIAS.2009.932361
1077-2618/09/$25.002009 IEEE
BY ROBERT E. NABOURS
shocks are the result of an electric current that enters
the body, ranging from a minor static-electric dis-
charge to a lightning strike accident, but most often
resulting from contact with residential or commercial
electrical systems.
The causes of death from electricity electrocution
have been studied since the period 18801900 when
physicians were presented with the victims of accidental
electrocutions for postmortem examination [1]. Deaths
from technical (commercial) electricity were first reported
in 1879 and 1881 by Jex-Blake in 1913 [2]. Some of the
earliest scientific articles on this subject were published
in 1899 by Prevost [3]. Later, articles were published by
Ferris [4] in 1936 and Kouwenhoven in 1955, 1959, and
1964 [5][7].
V-F is probably the most common cause of death in
electric shock cases and can be produced by moderately
small currents that cause a chaotic, uncontrolled, rapid
contraction of the heart muscle. The muscle writhes,
something like a bag of worms, Thus, the critical path resistance nec-
though faster. During v-f, the heart essary for v-f is a function of the source
pumps no blood to the brain because ELECTRIC SHOCK energy and weight only and is given by
the diminished blood pressure imme-
diately following the v-f producing CAN BE DEFINED E
R : (6)
shock, and lasting about 11 s, is insuf- k2 106
ficient to exceed the normal intracra- AS THE
nial pressure [8]. Following this brief The current necessary for v-f can
(11 s) interval, there is no blood flow IMMEDIATE also be expressed in terms of energy
p
to the brain. and voltage by substituting for t
EFFECTS from (1) into (3)
Analysis PRODUCED BY
The seminal series of articles by Dal- k2 106
IV : (7)
ziel [9][11], concluding in [12], THE PASSAGE OF E
form the basis for the analysis of
parameters affecting v-f presented in AN ELECTRIC It has thus been shown that the
this article. The fundamental equa- critical path resistance, (6), for an
tions, (1) and (2), for the onset of v-f CURRENT. electrical shock to produce v-f is a
are as follows. direct function of the shock energy
The Dalziel equation and an inverse function of the k-factor
squared, i.e., subject weight.
k(103 ) The energy delivered by the source to the shock subject
I p , (1)
t can also be expressed as

where I is in amperes, t is in seconds, and k is an empir- V2

ical constant determined by the mass (weight) of the E t: (8)
R
subject and the statistical distribution of individuals
for the subject weight. On substituting (6) for R in (8) and solving for V, one
The energy equation for the delivered shock is obtains

E V(I)t, (2) k103 R

V p : (9)

IEEE INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS MAGAZINE
MAY j JUNE 2009
WWW.IEEE.ORG/IAS

t
where E is in Joules, V in volts, I in amperes, and t in seconds.
Substituting (1) for I into (2) and simplifying gives
p 1104
E V(k)103 ( t): (3) I(t)
J(t)
This represents the shock source energy necessary to K(t)
induce v-f according to weight and statistical distribution m(t)
of subject. M(t)
An alternate form of the energy equation can be 1103
expressed in terms of the resistance that the subject
Current (mA)

presents to the source current

E I2 R(t): (4)
2
Now squaring (1) and substituting I into (4) gives
100

k2 (106 )
E R(t) k2 106 R: (5)
t

TABLE 1. DALZIEL k-FACTOR VERSUS BODY WEIGHT 10

FOR MAN. 0.1 1 10
t
Body k-Factor Time (s)
Mass Weight Minimum Maximum 1
(kg) (lb) (50:5%) Median (499:5%) Average ventricular fibrillation current in humans versus
50 110 116 150 185 subject weight and time. I for 50 kg (110 lb), J for 70 kg
(154 lb), K for 90 kg (198 lb). I, J, and K are averages for
70 154 154 205 256 the subject weight, m is the minimum for <0:5%, M is the
90 198 192 261 330 maximum for >99:5% of the population. Current is in
19
milliamperes.
 The Empirical k-Factor source and a 3-s shock interval
Dalziel (1968) evaluated the k-factor from (2)
for (1) at 50 kg (110 lb) body
weight for the 0.5% and 95.5% WHEN THE E424:11,
population statistics as 116 mini- SOURCE ENERGY
mum and 185 maximum. Using the where E is in volt-ampere-seconds
data relied upon by Dalziel, the IS AT LEAST 109 J, ( Joules).
minimum, median, and maximum Since the critical path resistance
values of k were found for two addi- NEARLY ALL necessary for v-f is a function of source
tional body weights, i.e., 70 kg and energy and k only, we have from (8)
90 kg; these results are shown in SUBJECTS WILL that
Table 1. The v-f current for humans
versus subject weight and time is EXPERIENCE V2 (120)2
shown in Figure 1. R5 t 3 1, 792,
Using the minimum k-factor from
VENTRICULAR E 24:11
Table 1, the minimum current neces- FIBRILLATION. where R is in ohms.
sary for v-f can be calculated for For values of R greater than 1,792 O,
50:5% of the population for a 3-s it is unlikely (50:5%) that v-f will be
shock interval produced for 120 V exposure times of
3 s or less.
116 The energy required for v-f versus critical path resist-
I  p 66:97, ance is shown in Figure 2 for three values of the k-factor.
3
Returning now to (9) for voltage necessary to produce
where I is in mA. v-f versus weight, time, and critical path resistance, Figure 3
The minimum energy necessary for v-f in most of is a plot of the v-f voltage for three values of k-factor and a
the population can then be calculated for a 120 V rms critical path resistance of 1,000 O.

120
1103
E(R)
IEEE INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS MAGAZINE
MAY j JUNE 2009
WWW.IEEE.ORG/IAS

e(R)
100
a(R)

80
Energy (J)

60
V (V)

100

40

20

0
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 10
R () 0.1 1 10
t (s)
Red Trace = Max wt., 90 kg
Red Trace = Maximum wt., 90 kg
Green Trace = Avg wt., 70 kg
Blue Trace = Min wt., 50 kg Green Trace = Average wt., 70 kg

2 Blue Trace = Minimum wt., 50 kg

Energy required for v-f versus subject weight and critical
path resistance R. e(R) is the minimum energy for <0:5% of
the population, a(R) is the average energy, and E(R) is the
maximum energy required for >99:5% of the population.
Red tracemax. wt 90 kg; green traceavg. wt 70 kg;
20
blue tracemin. wt 50 kg.
3
v-f voltage versus time for minimum, average, and
maximum weight subjects with a critical path resistance of
1,000 O. Red tracemax. wt 90 kg; green traceavg. wt
70 kg; blue tracemin. wt 50 kg.
 Consider (9) for V versus R, k, of resistance often used in v-f calcula-
and t. This relationship is shown in tions, a minimum of approximately 13 J
Figure 4. of energy is required to produce v-f.
VENTRICULAR When the source energy delivered in
Conclusions the shock is at least 109 J, nearly all
The fundamental equations for v-f
FIBRILLATION IS subjects will experience v-f.
have been used in this article to PROBABLY THE In the derived (9) and Figures 3 and
derive two additional relationships 4, it is shown that the source voltage
for the electrical parameters of inter- MOST COMMON necessary to produce v-f is a function
est in the shock process that can of the subject weight, the critical path
produce v-f in humans. CAUSE OF DEATH resistance, and the shock duration
The work of Dalziel has been time. Again, at 1,000 O, a minimum
relied upon to expand the v-f data to IN ELECTRIC of 116 volts is required to produce v-f
include humans of weights: 50 kg in 1 s for the smallest of subjects.
(110 lb), 70 kg (154 lb), and 90 kg SHOCK CASES. When the voltage of the source is at
(198 lb). Table 1 and Figure 1 pro- least 330 V, nearly all subjects will
vide these results. Additionally, the experience v-f in 1 s.
median v-f currents for these weights Because
p the voltage required for v-f is
have been calculated and shown in this table and figure. inversely proportional to t, at 1,000 O a minimum of 67 V
It has been shown that the source energy necessary to is required for 3 s to produce v-f for the smallest person. At
produce v-f is a function only of the subject weight and the 190 V or more, nearly all subjects will experience v-f in 3 s.
critical path resistance of the current path from made con- It was shown that the maximum critical path resistance
tact through the human body. At 1,000 O, a typical value with a 120-V source and a 3-s exposure is 1,792 O. For R val-
ues greater than 1,792 O, it is unlikely (50:5%) that v-f
will result unless exposure time exceeds 3 s.
200 References
[1] T. Bernstein, Theories of the causes of death from electricity in the
180 V(R, K) late nineteenth century, Med. Instrum., vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 267273,
V(R, k) Nov.Dec. 1975.
[2] A. J. Jex-Blake, The Goulstonian lectures on death by electric cur-
160 rents and by lightning, Brit. Med. J., vol. 1, pp. 425430, 492
498, 548552, 601603, 1913.

IEEE INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS MAGAZINE
MAY j JUNE 2009
WWW.IEEE.ORG/IAS

140 [3] J. L. Prevost and F. Battelli, Death by electric currents (alternating
current), C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris), vol. 128, pp. 668670, 1899.
[4] L. P. Ferris, Effect of electric shock on the heart, AIEE Trans.,
120 vol. 55, pp. 498515, May 1936.
[5] W. B. Kouwenhoven, Electric defibrillation, AIEE Trans., Paper
V (V)

100 No. 5595, 1955.

[6] W. B. Kouwenhoven, ac shocks of varying parameters affecting the
heart, AIEE Trans., vol. 78, pp. 163169, May 1959.
80 [7] W. B. Kouwenhoven, The effects of electricity on the human body,
Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp., vol. 115, pp. 425446, 1964.
[8] R. E. Nabours, R. M. Fish, and P. F. Hill, Electrical Injuries Engineer-
60 ing, Medical and Legal Aspects, 2nd ed. Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges
Publishing, 2004.
40 [9] C. F. Dalziel, Effects of electric shock on man, IRE Trans. Med.
Electron., pp. 4462, May 1956.
[10] C. F. Dalziel and W. R. Lee, Reevaluation of lethal electric cur-
20 rents, IEEE Trans. Ind. Gen. Appl., vol. IGA-4, no. 5, pp. 467476,
Sept./Oct. 1968.
[11] C. F. Dalziel and W. R. Lee, Lethal electric currents, IEEE Spectr.,
0
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 pp. 4450, Feb. 1969.
[12] C. F. Dalziel, Electric shock hazard, IEEE Spectr., pp. 4150, Feb.
R ()
1972.

Red = Max wt., 90 kg

Blue = Min wt., 50 kg
Robert E. Nabours (rencee@comcast.net) is a consultant. Nabours
4 is a Life Senior Member of the IEEE. This article first appeared
Voltage versus critical path resistance R for an exposure as Dalziel Revisited: A Study of the Electrical Parameters
time of 3 s. Red tracemax. wt 90 kg; blue tracemin. wt Affecting Ventricular Fibrillation at the 2005 Industrial and
50 kg. Commercial Power Systems Conference.

21