Chemical burns revisited: What is the most appropriate method of decontamination?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of decontamination by immediate surgical debridement in the acute management of chemical burns as compared to conventional dilutional approaches by irrigation or wetting. A retrospective review of the medical records of patients admitted to the Burns Centre of the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, between 2001 and 2012, was performed. The time to recovery as reflected by the hospital stay for patients who had received immediate debridement, continuous irrigation, and wet packs was calculated and compared. A total of 99 patients were admitted for chemical burns (3.3% of total admissions). There were three mortalities. Immediate surgical debridement failed to achieve a faster recovery than irrigation or wet packs. Continuous water irrigation was better than wet packs in achieving earlier recovery. Continuous water irrigation remains the most preferred method of decontamination in acute chemical burn management.