Alkali burns: Report of two cases

ABSTRACT

We report two cases of alkali burn, one sustained 100% total body surface area [TBSA] burn due to immersion in caustic soda in an unusual manner, and another had a minor burn due to splash while rescuing his colleague from the tank. Their high morbidity and mortality is further increased due to associated inhalation and ingestion of the chemical agent due to immersion. Ocular burn with corneal opacity is another problem one finds in such injuries. Our patient with 100% TBSA burn with eyes and respiratory tract involvement rapidly deteriorated, and died 76 hours post burn. The other patient with the minor burn made a good recovery and healed following surgical excision