Chronic Wound Care Management and Research (Jul 2019)
Rare chemical burns: first response, early hospitalization and first treatment: retrospective analysis from a single center
Abstract
Hakan Akelma,1 Zeki Ayhan Karahan,2 Ebru Tarıkçı Kılıç31Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey; 2Department of General Surgery, Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey; 3Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, TurkeyBackground: Chemical burns are common enough not to be underestimated and may cause significant physical, psychological and economic burdens in poor and rural areas. The most important point in the evaluation and management of such injuries is to identify the chemical substance, to be informed about the damage to be done and to make the first provision.Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of chemical burns and clinical variables of chemical burns.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients admitted between 2014 and 2018, at our burn unit of our hospital due to chemical burns. The patients were evaluated with respect to demographic aspects, type of chemicals, burn percentage, burn level, burn site, length of hospital stay, first application type, hospitalization day, presence of additional pathology and treatment.Results: Twelve patients were male and six were female. The patients were hospitalized after the burns, 6 of them on the 1st day, 6 on the 2nd day, 4 on the 5th day, 1 on the 10th day and 1 on the 14th day of the burn (3,44±3,53 days). The mean hospital stay was 5.5 days. Chemical burn types consisted of cement (n=3), superglue (n=2), air bag gas (n=2), liquid oxygen (n=2), sink opener (n=3), nail polish remover (n=2), expigment cream (n=1), hot tar (n=1), IL-33 solution (n=1), white vinegar (n=1) and fridge gas (n=1).Discussion and Conclusion: Chemical burn injuries are an important part of total burn injuries. They can be largely preventable and if managed properly can have a good outcome.Keywords: rare chemical burns, first response, early hospitalization, first treatment
