Detergent Solution-induced Alkaline Burn of Hand: A Case Report and Review of Literature

ABSTRACT

We present an interesting case of arbitrary chemical burn resulting from exposure to an undiluted detergent solution as a folk remedy. A 59-year-old woman came to the emergency department presenting chemical burn on her hand. She was affected by housewife's eczema on her left hand and wanted to cure the lesion. So three days before she came to hospital, she had put her hand into an undiluted detergent solution for an hour as a folk remedy for eczema. The patient was treated with foam dressing while the wound was demarcated. After three weeks, she underwent full-thickness skin graft on her 4(th) finger only. On postoperative day 14, the grafted skin was well-taken and on postoperative day 32, the wound was healed completely with a nail growth. Dish detergent solution has been widely used in kitchen but there is no documented report of chemical burn resulting from a detergent solution. When this patient came to our hospital at first time, the wound was so inflammatory and partial necrosis was combined. So we waited for demarcation preparing even for amputation. But with application of appropriate foam dressing, the patient was healed well and required only partial skin graft. We may encounter the patients suffer from the chemical burns due to usual detergent sometimes. But we do not need to perform surgical treatment immediately. Instead, appropriate dressing will be helpful to minimize operation range.