title: Silent blast in oral cavity: is the car battery innocuous?
abstract: Low voltage energy source is not free from danger. An exceptionally rare and peculiar mode of facial blast injury is reported. The blast took place silently in the mouth of a 15-year-old boy, due to short-circuiting of wires connected to a12-volt car battery while peeling off insulation with the intent of running a musical instrument. Airway compromise due to soft tissue injury produced further problem during tracheostomy. Emergent airway management is discussed. Post-healing sequel resulted in loss of voice and prevented normal oral feeding. The case report emphasizes need for education to public in handling low voltage energy source.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal. umeshbhadani@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Umesh Kumar
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Bhadani
authors.forename: Mukesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Ramraj
authors.forename: Ishwar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D009055:Mouth / Q000293:injuries*; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000293:injuries; D014139:Tracheostomy