1, 4, 5 Patients with dementia often exhibit impaired judgment and irregular eating behaviors, leading them to ingest nonfood substances. 3 However, only a few reports have described advanced-age patients with dementia who have developed oral chemical burns, and the cause of these burns is accidental ingestion of nonfood substances. 2 Numerous case reports of toddlers have described placement of various items from the surrounding environment into the oral cavity. 2Ĭhemical burns of the oral cavity and upper gastrointestinal tract secondary to corrosive chemical ingestion may be accidental (mostly in children or patients with dementia) or deliberate, as in suicide attempts. In particular, ingestion of corrosive chemicals can cause injuries ranging in severity from mucosal erythema to transmural necrosis of the esophagus and stomach with viscous perforation, which can be life-threatening. 1, 2 Many types of chemicals and drugs can cause chemical burns, the severity of which depends on the concentration and quantity of the chemical as well as the manner and duration of contact with the tissue. Oral chemical burns occur when a chemical is ingested, causing burns and ulcers in the oral mucosa, esophagus, stomach, and upper digestive tract. Knowledge of the appropriate response to calcium oxide food desiccant ingestion is also important to prevent the occurrence of severe chemical burns. This case report emphasizes the need for families and nurses who care for patients with dementia to renew their understanding of the danger of accidental ingestion of nonfood substances.
We herein describe a case of an advanced-age patient with dementia who ingested a calcium oxide food desiccant at home and developed chemical burns that were exacerbated by an improperly placed implant-supported complete fixed prosthesis. Patients with dementia often exhibit impaired judgment and irregular eating behaviors, at times leading them to ingest nonfood substances. However, a few reports have described advanced-age patients with dementia who developed oral chemical burns. Oral chemical burns primarily occur in children because of accidental ingestion. Find a hand surgeon near you.Oral chemical burns occur when a chemical accidentally enters the mouth, causing burns and ulcers in the oral mucosa, esophagus, stomach, and upper digestive tract if swallowed. This content is written, edited and updated by hand surgeon members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. © 2014 American Society for Surgery of the Hand Your hand surgeon will coordinate with a therapist if he or she feels that you would benefit from rehabilitation.
Deeper ones or those that occur in conjunction with other injuries may require extensive therapy and rehabilitation. Superficial burns generally will not need any formal hand therapy. Long-term follow up with your hand surgeon should be planned to evaluate for potential future surgery that could improve your hand function. Many burned hands will develop contractures, which cause stiff and constricted muscles, months or years after the original injury. Many patients with severe injuries will require more than one operation. Ideally this is within two to three weeks after the injury.
#Chemical burn treatment skin#
After surgery, the hand is splinted (Figure 3) until the skin is healed. The dead skin will need to be removed and replaced with skin grafts, which is a surgical procedure. Wound healing occurs within two to three weeks. If there are open and raw surfaces, cleaning, frequent dressing changes, and the application of local topical antibiotics should be performed until the wounds are healed. The hand and forearm should be splinted in a position of safety to prevent later stiffness. They usually heal within a week.īlisters on the hand may or may not be trimmed. These are treated primarily for comfort with local pain killers. Those just on the hand may be treated on an outpatient basis if the pain can be adequately controlled. Burns over a major percentage of the body require hospitalization special care.
#Chemical burn treatment how to#
How to treat a burn depends on the severity of the burn. Treatment focuses on preventing further problems with stiffness and infection. Initial first aid measures include removing the hand from the source of heat and keeping it clean.
0 kommentar(er)
