Abstract
Those practicing Emergency Medicine are frequently faced with a patient presenting
with a chemical burn. Most dermal chemical burns are minor and do not require specialized
treatment. Occasionally, however, the clinician may be in the position of responding
to a chemical burn in which standard therapy of irrigation and good wound care may
not be sufficient or, at worst, contraindicated. Several burn conditions will be reviewed,
some of those requiring only specific decontamination techniques, as in hot tar, others
posing special hazards to clinicians, as in elemental metals, and finally, examples
are given of hazardous materials requiring attention to systemic effects, as in hydrofluoric
acid.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 11, 2008
Accepted:
October 28,
2007
Received in revised form:
August 10,
2007
Received:
June 20,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
