A CLINICAL STUDY OF CHEMICAL BURNS.

Jang, Young Chul; Kim, Dong Chul; Kim, Do Hyun

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Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 1997;24(1):122-132.
Published online January 1, 1997.

A CLINICAL STUDY OF CHEMICAL BURNS.

Young Chul Jang, Dong Chul Kim, Do Hyun Kim

Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University.

Abstract

More than 25,000 products capable of producing chemicals bums are now used in industry, agriculture, military, science, and the home. Cutaneous injury from caustic chemicals is unlike cutaneous thermal injury that tissue destruction continues until its is neutralized or its toxicity is exhausted by reaction with the tissues. Reduction of the time of exposure to the caustic agent and recognition of systemic toxicity are necessary to lessen the severity of insult, reduced morbidity and maximized survivals. During the 9-year period from January 1986 to December 1994, 5,945 burn patients were admitted to the Han Gang Sacred Heart Hospital. Among them, 78 patients were chemicaly burned. In these chemical bum patients, retrospective study was done for the review of following issues; incidence, age and sex, places of accidents, agent, prevalent site, extents of body area fumed, distribution of depth, average hospital days according to extent and depth, complication, mortality rate and management. The result were as follows. 1) The incidence of chemical bums patients was 1.3 % of all admitted bum patients. 2) The prevalent age group was between 20 and 39 years old(67.9%). 3) The ratio of male to female was 9 : 1. 4) The incidence of work-related bums was 71.8%. 5) The most common chemical agent was sulfuric acid(28.2%), followed by sodium hydroxide(17.9%) and hydrochloric acid (12.8%). 6) The most common prevalent site was face and neck(62.2%). 7) Distribution of body area burned between 1 to 10% was 70.4%. 8) The average hospital days according to depth, superficial second degree was 13.4 days, deep second degree was 31 days, and third degree was 83.1 days. 9) The most common complication was scar contracture. 10) Overall mortality rate was 5.1%(4 cases), the cause of death was septic shock and ARDS, and average hospital days was 10 days.

Keywords: Chemical burns

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