Electricity can be a hazard in hospitals, particularly to patients who are conne

Question

Electricity can be a hazard in hospitals, particularly to patients who are connected to electrodes, such as an ECG.
For example, suppose that the motor of a motorized bed shorts out to the bed frame, and the bed frame's connection to a ground has broken (or was not there in the first place).
If a nurse of resistance Rn = 15400 ? touches the bed of negligible resistance rb ? 0 ? and the patient of resistance Rp = 9300 at the same time, she becomes a conductor and a complete circuit can be made through the patient to ground through the ECG apparatus (of negligible resistance re ? 0 ?). This is shown schematically in the figure below.
The voltage of the motor is 227 V and its resistance is 13900 ?. Calculate the current through the patient.

Fact : 10 mA is considered to be a dangerous level in that it can cause sustained contraction. Something on the order of a few mA would already be painful

Explanation / Answer

I=U/(Rm+Rn+Rp+rb)

Num: I~5.9 mA (not dangerous)

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