Blast injury of the finger caused by mobile battery explosion: A case report

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries can cause several types of injuries upon explosion due to misfire. We report a case in which a mobile battery explosion resulted in high-pressure injection of metal debris into a small entry point on the skin creating puncture wounds on a patient's index finger, necessitating surgical intervention for massive debridement. A healthy 45-year-old, right-hand-dominant woman presented to the emergency department 4 h after a mobile battery had exploded in her left hand, causing burns to the left index finger. The battery had exploded due to misfire because the patient had accidentally hit it with a hammer. Radiographs of the index finger demonstrated foreign material extending from the fingertip to the ulnar proximal phalanx along the flexor tendon sheath, which was consistent with a high-pressure injection injury. She underwent semiurgent incision, irrigation, and debridement of the left index finger the day after the injury. The wound healed uneventfully within a month. At the 6-month follow-up, the palm-to-tip distance was 1 cm, and sensation at the tip was recovered. Compositional analysis of the debris revealed that the two major elements were aluminum and nickel (both less than 10%); lithium constituted less than 1% of the debris, a level deemed safe in humans. The protocol of semiurgent incision, irrigation, and debridement was safe and effective in the treatment of the injection injury caused by the mobile battery explosion.

Keywords

• Mobile battery
• Explosion
• High-pressure injection injury
• Debridement
• Compositional analysis