Mass chemical burn casualty: Emergency management of 118 patients with alkali burn during a Matsa typhoon attack in Shanghai, China in 2005

Abstract

Background This article reports a chemical burn incident that occurred on August 7th, 2005, when a Matsa typhoon hit Shanghai, China. This is the largest chemical burn incident reported in the literature for 20 years in China, involving 118 alkali burn patients who were rescued by the Burn Department of Shanghai Changhai Hospital independently. Methods The scene of the incident was investigated, and the clinical, emergency and hospitalized data of the patients were summarized. Results The main injurious chemical was a water solution of sodium hydroxide and ammonium chloride. The 118 victims were mostly young men with 5%TBSA deep thickness burn of both lower extremities, including 31 patients who had additional light coughing. Of 58 patients who were finally hospitalized, 42 patients received surgical treatment. Most of these patients recovered within 1 month. There were no deaths. Discussion Retrospective analysis of the therapeutic data of the incident demonstrates that pre-designed disaster planning for emergency management of mass burn patients, an effective command group, accurate assessment of pathological conditions, and correct allocation of different casualties are key elements in successful management in a mass casualty even involving burn patients. In addition, it is essential for specialized personnel to take part in emergency treatment of chemical burns.