Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation

Background: Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is an extremely dangerous weak inorganic acid, which can produce extensive burn lesions, depending especially on the solution concentration and exposure time, systemic toxicity occurring in patients with large burn areas, high concentration of acid or an extensive...

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Main Authors: Sabina GRAMA, Andreea BULARDA, Mihaela ANDREI, Tiberiu Paul NEAGU, Serban Arghir POPESCU, Camelia Cristina DIACONU, Ovidiu Gabriel BRATU, Dan IONESCU, Liviu TIGANIUC, Ioan LASCAR
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bucharest College of Physicians 2020-03-01
Series:Modern Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://medicinamoderna.ro/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/RMM_art-11.pdf
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author Sabina GRAMA
Andreea BULARDA
Mihaela ANDREI
Tiberiu Paul NEAGU
Serban Arghir POPESCU
Camelia Cristina DIACONU
Ovidiu Gabriel BRATU
Dan IONESCU
Liviu TIGANIUC
Ioan LASCAR
author_facet Sabina GRAMA
Andreea BULARDA
Mihaela ANDREI
Tiberiu Paul NEAGU
Serban Arghir POPESCU
Camelia Cristina DIACONU
Ovidiu Gabriel BRATU
Dan IONESCU
Liviu TIGANIUC
Ioan LASCAR
author_sort Sabina GRAMA
collection DOAJ
description Background: Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is an extremely dangerous weak inorganic acid, which can produce extensive burn lesions, depending especially on the solution concentration and exposure time, systemic toxicity occurring in patients with large burn areas, high concentration of acid or an extensive time of exposure. The subcutaneous infiltration and intravenous administration of calcium gluconate is essential for preventing dyselectrolytemia and severe pain appearance. Case summary: A 26-year-old man patient presented to our hospital after a hydrofluoric burn, secondary to an occupational accident. At the scene, the wound was irrigated with fresh water and topical calcium gluconate was applied. In the Emergency Department, we started the intravenous calcium gluconate administration, and in the Burn Unit it was injected subcutaneously and the pain was thus diminished. A prolonged QT interval was identified upon admission that has been corrected over the next few days. Particularly, the serum pseudocholinesterase levels were within normal range. The local treatment involved repeated copious lavage with sterile water and Betadine solution, the evolution being rapidly favorable with the burn lesions completely healed in the next week. Conclusion: HF burns are a very special type of chemical burn taking into account that exposure to a small quantity of solution can be life threatening and that the immediate treatment is mandatory in order to maximize the outcome. It is of vital importance that any medical facility had a chemical burn protocol.
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spelling doaj-art-3c8a46fe01c040e8b094bc4d94ecdb472025-08-20T03:55:37ZengBucharest College of PhysiciansModern Medicine1223-04722360-24732020-03-012716367https://doi.org/10.31689/rmm.2020.27.1.63Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case PresentationSabina GRAMA0Andreea BULARDA1Mihaela ANDREI2Tiberiu Paul NEAGU3Serban Arghir POPESCU4Camelia Cristina DIACONU5Ovidiu Gabriel BRATU6Dan IONESCU7Liviu TIGANIUC8Ioan LASCAR9Department of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Urology, „Dr. Carol Davila” Emergency University Central Military Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Emergency Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaBackground: Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is an extremely dangerous weak inorganic acid, which can produce extensive burn lesions, depending especially on the solution concentration and exposure time, systemic toxicity occurring in patients with large burn areas, high concentration of acid or an extensive time of exposure. The subcutaneous infiltration and intravenous administration of calcium gluconate is essential for preventing dyselectrolytemia and severe pain appearance. Case summary: A 26-year-old man patient presented to our hospital after a hydrofluoric burn, secondary to an occupational accident. At the scene, the wound was irrigated with fresh water and topical calcium gluconate was applied. In the Emergency Department, we started the intravenous calcium gluconate administration, and in the Burn Unit it was injected subcutaneously and the pain was thus diminished. A prolonged QT interval was identified upon admission that has been corrected over the next few days. Particularly, the serum pseudocholinesterase levels were within normal range. The local treatment involved repeated copious lavage with sterile water and Betadine solution, the evolution being rapidly favorable with the burn lesions completely healed in the next week. Conclusion: HF burns are a very special type of chemical burn taking into account that exposure to a small quantity of solution can be life threatening and that the immediate treatment is mandatory in order to maximize the outcome. It is of vital importance that any medical facility had a chemical burn protocol.https://medicinamoderna.ro/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/RMM_art-11.pdfhydrofluoric acid exposureburncalcium gluconatearrhythmias
spellingShingle Sabina GRAMA
Andreea BULARDA
Mihaela ANDREI
Tiberiu Paul NEAGU
Serban Arghir POPESCU
Camelia Cristina DIACONU
Ovidiu Gabriel BRATU
Dan IONESCU
Liviu TIGANIUC
Ioan LASCAR
Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation
Modern Medicine
hydrofluoric acid exposure
burn
calcium gluconate
arrhythmias
title Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation
title_full Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation
title_fullStr Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation
title_full_unstemmed Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation
title_short Hydrofluoric Acid Burn Management – Case Presentation
title_sort hydrofluoric acid burn management case presentation
topic hydrofluoric acid exposure
burn
calcium gluconate
arrhythmias
url https://medicinamoderna.ro/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/RMM_art-11.pdf
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