Recently, doctors at the Burn Unit - Orthopedics Department, National Children's Hospital received treatment for a 3-month-old girl with third-degree oral burns because her family mistakenly gave her a bottle of 80% Trichloracetic Acid instead of the Aquadetrim (Vitamin D3) medicine she was using every day.
The baby's mother shared that because someone in the family had warts, she bought 80% Trichloracetic Acid (a substance similar to acetic acid, used to treat warts, corns, and calluses) for treatment.
This medicine bottle was placed next to other medicines for the baby. On the morning of the incident, when the family member took the vitamin D3 bottle to give the baby, due to not paying attention, they mistakenly took the 80% Trichloracetic Acid bottle that was placed right next to it (because the shape and color of the two bottles were similar).
“When I put the medicine in my baby's mouth, I saw a thin white substance appear in his mouth, and he cried a lot.
At this time, the family discovered the mistake and gave first aid at home by using a wet towel to wipe the child's mouth and immediately took him to the Burn Unit - Orthopedic Department, National Children's Hospital" - the child's mother recalled.
At the National Children's Hospital, baby MA was diagnosed with third-degree chemical burns to the oral cavity. Every day, doctors and nurses carried out treatment measures for the baby. After a period of active treatment, the baby's health is now stable and he has been discharged from the hospital.
Doctor CKII Phung Cong Sang - Deputy Head of Orthopedics Department, in charge of Burn Unit - National Children's Hospital said, Chemical burns are burns caused by chemicals such as acids or bases.
Chemical burns can cause damage to the skin or mucous membranes of body cavities. Deep burns can damage tendons, bones or internal organs if the chemical is accidentally swallowed.
According to Dr. Sang, there are many different causes of chemical burns in children, including the carelessness of adults in caring for children.
“Chemical burns like the one in MA’s case are often very dangerous. Fortunately, the child accidentally drank a small amount (in drops) so the burn area was not large, so proper treatment will minimize future complications.
In cases of oral acid burns, if severe, it will leave serious sequelae due to narrowing of the digestive tract and upper respiratory tract, not to mention serious complications due to digestive tract ulcers and perforated esophageal blood vessels that can threaten the child's life," said Dr. Sang.
According to Doctor Sang, recently, the National Children's Hospital has received cases of children being poisoned due to mistakenly drinking chemicals in bottles of mineral water or soft drinks, or parents mistakenly dropping acid or 90-degree alcohol into the child's nose or mouth... many of which have ended up in life-threatening emergency situations.
Doctor Sang said that as soon as parents discover that their child has accidentally ingested a burning substance, they need to stay calm and can provide first aid by:
Rinse the area around the child’s mouth with clean water or saline. If the child is old enough, have him or her rinse his or her mouth with cool water and spit it out to help dilute the chemicals.
Quickly take the child to the hospital so that doctors can intervene promptly. You should continue to rinse or gargle with water during transport.
In addition, to prevent the consequences of accidentally taking chemicals and limit possible unfortunate risks, doctors recommend:
Do not store oral medications with other disinfectants or external medications. Household chemicals should be stored in a hidden place, out of reach of children.
Do not store chemicals in beverage bottles such as Lavie, C2 tea, etc. to avoid possible confusion.
When babysitting, adults need close, constant supervision.
For children who are aware, parents need to equip them with basic knowledge and skills to protect themselves.
In addition, parents and caregivers should also learn first aid techniques for some common injuries so that they can provide proper first aid in unfortunate cases, to limit damage to children.
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