A Case of High-Pressure Paint Gun Injury to the Eyeball and Ocular Adnexa

PURPOSE: To report a case of high-pressure paint gun injury to the eyeball and ocular adnexa. CASE SUMMARY: A 50-year-old woman was admitted after accidental high-pressure paint injection to her right eye while working. She complained of pain and severe swelling of the eyelids covered with paint. Slit lamp biomicroscopy showed multiple conjunctival lacerations, deposition of paint material on her conjunctiva, corneal edema and crystalline lens dislocation. Orbital computed tomography revealed infiltration of paint material into the retrobulbar space and rupture of medial rectus muscle. The paint was removed from the conjunctiva, Tenon's tissue, and medial orbit after the medial rectus muscle was disinserted. On the second postoperative day, the wound was irrigated and pus was drained from the conjunctiva wound. Two months after the operation, the patient underwent cataract removal due to high intraocular pressure associated with lens dislocation. Six months after the operation, eyeball movement was improved except medial gaze, and the cornea was stable with moderate corneal haziness. CONCLUSIONS: In high-pressure paint gun injury to the eye, detail evaluation, prompt removal of the foreign body and proper management of complications are necessary.

Treatment of a High Pressure Injection Hand Injury / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the serious effects of a paint gun injury and to determine the proper treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed 30 cases of paint gun injuries of the hand that were treated from March, 1990 to September, 2000. We extended the original wound and removed the paint as soon as possible. The wound was left open, and debridementrepeated and delayed wound closure performed. The authors evaluated the results according to the Strickland evaluation method, and analysedthe results with respect to treatment delay and extent of injury. RESULTS: Delayed treatment, invasion of the paint along the neurovascular bundle and extensive injury resulted in a poor outcome. Amputationwas inevitable in 4 cases in which treatment had been delayed or when blood vessels had been invaded by the paint. CONCLUSION: Paint gun injury should be considered an emergency requiring immediate debridement. The surgeon should warn the patient that even after proper treatment, poor outcome can result.

Treatment of Paint: Gun Injury / 대한정형외과학회잡지

The paint gun is an industrial instrument which ejects paint through a small opening with pressure of l,500 to 3,000 Ib/inch. In case of the paint-gun injury, the paint penetrates through a tiny wound of skin and spreads widely along the fascial plane or tendon sheath. It destroys the tissues rapidly. Moreover, the toxicity of the paint material evokes acute inflammatory reaction which is accompanied by localized swelling, erythema, heat and sometimes generalized symptoms (i.e fever). Local toxic reaction leads to swelling, circulatory disturhance and foIlowed hy gangrene of the tissue. Sometimes tissue condition is too desperate to survive and bring about amputation unfortunately. Authors treated eleven patients of the paint gun injury f'rom March 1988 to April 1995. The paint materials were removed thoroughly via large skin incision as immediately as possible after the injury. Usually the wound is left to be open for seven to ten days and is followed by delayed primary wound closure. In our experience of three cases of delayed removal( two, five and seven days after injury), the outcomes were poor with problems of pain, sensory disturhance, limitation of finger motio, and two cases of digit amputation. On doing paint gun injection, right hand was used to hold the paint-gun and left hand was used to hold the cable. Our study showed right hands were injured mainly(nine cases). It means the paint gun injury is caused by inattention of work partner.