TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Chemical decontamination in the emergency department
JO  - Emergencias
A1  - Nogué, S.
A1  - Amigó, M.
A1  - Uría, E.
A1  - Fernández, F.
A1  - Velasco, V.
SP  - 203
EP  - 207
VL  - 24
IS  - 3
N2  - Exposure to chemicals harmful to the skin and/or eyes is a common reason for seeking emergency care. Our aim was to describe the characteristics of patients treated in the chemical decontamination unit of an area referral hospital. This 18- month descriptive observational study evaluated the epidemiologic, toxicologic, clinical, and therapeutic characteristics of cases treated by a chemical decontamination unit within an emergency department. Thirty-six patients with a mean (SD) age of 42.8 (16.7) years were identified; 24 (66.7%) were women. The chemical products involved were usually caustic substances (52.8%), solvents or degreasers (19.4%), glues (13.9%), or self-defense sprays (8.3%). Accidents in the home (41.7%) or workplace (36.1%) were the most common reasons for chemical contamination; violent attacks accounted for 8.3% of the cases and there was 1 suicide attempt. The eye (75%), skin (19.4%) or both (2 cases) were affected. The patient who committed suicide injured his face when ingesting sulfuric acid and died a few hours later. First aid consisted of rinsing with water, water and soap, or diphoterine. Follow-up eye care was given to all patients whose eyes were contaminated; 3 patients reported persistent eye symptoms. One patient reported a residual skin lesion.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1137-6821
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -