Advancing Care for Electrical Injury Survivors
Electrical shock injuries are an increasingly common consequence of modern life. Their complex nature often limits recovery, but with continued medical research and your support, more complete recovery is possible. Together, we can improve diagnostics, advance treatments, and help survivors reclaim their quality of life.
3,260
non-fatal electrical injuries involving days away from work in 2021 and 2022 [ESFI].
Long-term Impacts
Many electrical injury survivors experience persistent and progressive neuromuscular and neuropsychological complications.
Underfunded Research
Electrical shock injury is often treated as a lower public health priority than more common diseases such as cancer and heart disease. As a result, much of the existing research on electrical injury has relied on limited private funding, leaving significant gaps in understanding, diagnosis, and treatment.
About The Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute
CETRI is a multidisciplinary team of internationally
recognized physicians, neuropsychologists, physical therapists,
imaging scientists, biophysicists and bioengineers, established
more than 30 years ago, that have collaborated to better
understand the unique injury patterns associated with electrical
shock and define more effective treatment protocols to enhance
recovery.
Across its history, the CETRI team has produced multiple
fundamentally important medical contributions that have had
significant medical impact and is well positioned to accelerate
that progress.
Our Impact
Innovation
The CETRI team was the first to explain that both thermal and non-thermal injury processes occur during electrical shock injury and report new medical therapies.
Care
CETRI’s medical team has evaluated more than 500 electrical shock survivors and has pushed more than 40 publications in peer review medical journals and several books.
Discovery
CETRI’s discoveries and data reports have been well-cited by professional colleagues and replicated by other centers around the world. With adequate medical funding, CETRI’s contributions will increase as the program expands.
Experts are Sounding the Alarm on Electrical Injuries
Leading experts in electrical injury research and treatment—Dr. Neil Pliskin, Dr. Raphael Lee, and Dr. David Weiss—recently participated in a podcast hosted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) focused specifically on the hidden and long-term impacts of electrical shock injuries. Their participation underscores an important truth: electrical injuries are far more complex and devastating than most people realize.
How Your Support Makes an Impact
Patient Access & Care
Your support helps provide bridge funding for patients who are unable to afford travel to Chicago or the cost of multi-day, state-of-the-art medical evaluations.
Advancing Electrical Injury Research
Your support enables comprehensive analysis of approximately 500 electrical shock cases to identify predictors of poor recovery and support earlier, preventative interventions.
Improving Recovery & Outcomes
Your support advances research into optimal therapeutic approaches to improve nerve injury recovery after electrical shock, reducing long-term neuromuscular and neuropsychological complications.