A man with severe leg burns

Abstract

A 52-year-old Hispanic male was transported to the emergency department after sustaining severe bilateral lower extremity burns in an electroplating factory. His examination revealed circumferential burns to the lower extremities with spotting in the perineum. The epidermis was stained green and sloughed off with gentle pressure. The underlying dermis was white and non-blanching, consistent with a full thickness burn. His feet were partially protected by his work boots where he had small areas of pink, blanchable, partial thickness burns (). Pertinent initial studies included a lactic acid level of 3.1 mmol/L and a creatinine of 1.02 mg/dL.

Fig. 1. Lower extremity of a 52-year-old Hispanic male who sustained chemical burns after exposure to a heated chromic acid mixture. The photograph was taken 1 h after exposure. The white discoloration represents a full thickness circumferential burn. The green discoloration represents staining of the epidermis by the chemical mixture.

Keywords:

• Chromic acid
• Chelation therapy
• Acute kidney injury
• Surgical debridement
• Poisoning

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.