Back to Journals » Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare » Volume 4

Occupational chemical burns: a 2-year experience in the emergency department



Panagiotis Touzopoulos1, Paul Zarogoulidis2, Alexandros Mitrakas1, Michael Karanikas1, Panagiotis Milothridis1, Dimitrios Matthaios1, Ioannis Kouroumichakis3, Stella Proikaki3, Paschalis Pavlioglou3, Nikolaos Katsikogiannis4, Theodoros C Constantinidis5
11st University Surgical Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, 2Pulmonary Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, 32nd Internal Medicine Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, 4Surgical Department (NHS), University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, 5Medical School, Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection, Democritus University of Thrace, Regional Laboratory of Public Health (Eastern Macedonia-Thrace), Greece

Abstract: Chemical burn injuries are a result of exposure to acid, alkali, or organic compounds. In this retrospective study, a total of 21 patients suffering occupational chemical burns, came to the emergency room at the University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, from 2008 to 2010; 76.2% were workers, 19% were farmers, and 4.8% were desk officers. The majority of burns were due to exposure to acid (61.9%). Upper extremities were the most frequently injured area followed by the lower extremities and thorax. None of the patients needed further hospital care, but in the follow-up, four of the patients suffered keloid. Proper surgical treatment at the emergency room decreases the length of hospital stay for patients who suffer chemically induced burns.

Keywords: chemical burns, surgical treatment, labor accidents

Creative Commons License © 2011 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.