Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery
Case ReportCyanoacrylate glue burn in a child – lessons to be learned
Section snippets
Case report
The focus of this report is a two year old male. The father of the child had been using a cyanoacrylate based glue for household work that day and left it unattended. An image of the glue can be seen in Figure 1. Later that evening, both parents heard the child crying and discovered that he had applied the glue to his right lower leg. The boy was also wearing pyjamas and these had now become firmly adherent to the area.
The family attended the Emergency Department where the pyjama bottoms were
Discussion
In this case the cotton pyjamas should not have been removed with such haste. Although the thermal injury from the glue had likely already damaged the epidermis and superficial dermis, the quick removal would undoubtedly have been extremely painful for the child. With more education staff would have known not to do this, but to use alternative methods. Documented ways include the following basic steps:
- 1.
Soak the skin in warm soapy water as soon as possible. This will aim to soften the glue, and
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
None.
References (7)
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