SIR, Mr S J Morgan emphasises the need to distinguish between ammonia and antipersonnel or antirape sprays such as CS and Mace.' From personal experience over the past 18 months I can describe a very simple and rapid method of differentiation. In a series of 17 patients who had been assaulted with a pungent fluid one had a strong smell of ammonia on his clothes and clinically had features of a ...

PURPOSE Severe chemical burns can cause necrosis of ocular surface tissues following the infiltration of inflammatory cells. It has been shown that amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) is an effective treatment for severe chemical burns, but the phenotypes of cells that infiltrate the amniotic membrane and the clinical significance of these cellular infiltrations have not previously been rep...

Chemical burns continue to pose a variety of dilemmas to the clinician managing such cases. Assessment of burn depth is often difficult and the decision whether to excise the wound early is not always clear-cut. In this updated review, common agents are classified and the basic principles of management and specific recommendations are examined. The complications arising from exposure to these c...

Chemical injuries are increasing in the modern world. Acids and alkalis are the main chemicals implicated. In this review article, the author has outlined the pathogenesis of the damage inflicted by acids as well as alkalis. Emergency treatment has been described as well as treatment to be used in the acute, sub -acute and chronic phases to reduce morbidity in these cases Modern methods of mana...

Airbags are a safety mechanism proven to be effective in reducing the severity and fatality of traffic accidents.1 Nevertheless, airbag deployment has induced multiple injuries; superficial abrasions, contusions, lacerations, and thermal and chemical burns are the most common.2-4 A 21-year-old man was seen by the dermatologist on duty for facial burns and eye injury secondary to the sudden depl...

Chemical burns account for a small percentage of admissions to burn units. Wet cement is a poorly recognized cause of chemical burn. As the construction industry is growing, individuals will likely have more contact with this material and be more prone to its harmful effects. Wet cement can cause severe full-thickness burns with prolonged contact, but this property is not well known among profe...

Ocular chemical burns are common and serious ocular emergencies that require immediate and intensive evaluation and care. The victims of such incidents are usually young, and therefore loss of vision and disfigurement could dramatically affect their lives. The clinical course can be divided into immediate, acute, early, and late reparative phases. The degree of limbal, corneal, and conjunctival...

BACKGROUND European studies of paediatric foot burns report scalds as the leading cause. Mechanisms of injury are different in warmer climates. We sought to characterize the mechanisms and outcomes of isolated foot burns in our population. METHODS Retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of all children aged 0-15 years presenting to a Queensland paediatric burns centre over ...

Diphoterine(®) is an amphoteric irrigating agent for the treatment of chemical burns and rapidly neutralises both acids and alkalis faster than water alone. Diphoterine(®) is widely used as a first aid agent in a wide range of industries globally. This is a retrospective review of the clinical use of Diphoterine(®) on chemical burns in an adult tertiary referral burn centre, often with a delay ...

Introduction. The key element of a safe workplace for employees is the maintenance of fire safety. Thermal, chemical, and electrical burns are common types of burns at the workplace. This study assessed the epidemiology of work-related burn injuries on the basis of the workers treated in a regional burn centre. Methods. Two years' retrospective data (2005-2006) from the Trauma Registry of the A...