title: Topical treatment of experimental hydrofluoric acid skin burns by 2.5% calcium gluconate.
abstract: Topical therapy with 2.5% calcium gluconate gel is considered as the "first-aid" treatment of accidental hydrofluoric acid skin burns. The efficacy of three different gel formulations varying in the amount and/or nature of their gelling and moisturizing agents was experimentally evaluated. Thirty male Wistar-Han rats (250 g) were exposed to 60 mul of 40% hydrofluoric acid for 2 minutes on two spots (4 cm) of skin under pentobarbital anesthesia. One lesion was massaged with 1 g of gel (10 rats/type of gel) at 3 minutes; 30 minutes; 1 hour; 1 hour, 30 minutes; 2 hours; 3 hours; and 4 hours after injury. During the next 3 days, rats received a single daily application of gel. The other lesion for each rat remained untreated (control). From day 1 after injury to the end of the study (day 17), gel therapy reduced the number of extensive (-66%), severe (-44%), and moderate (-34%) lesions (P < .0001). It reduced (P < .001) the median Area Under the Curve day 0-17 of burn injury from 34.0 (25th to 75th percentile: 18.2-44.5; untreated lesions) to 17.7 (7.0-26.7); overall, there was three cases of treatment failure. At day 17, full wound recovery was obtained in 14 cases by gel therapy compared with 6 in the absence of treatment. The efficacy of the three gel formulations was comparable for all evaluated parameters. Repeated applications of a 2.5% calcium gluconate gel is an efficient treatment of experimental 40% hydrofluoric acid skin burn; few differences were observed between evaluated gel formulations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Développement Analytique, Agence Générale des Equipements et Produits de Santé, (AP-HP), Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Université Paris V, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Roblin
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urban
authors.forename: Domitille
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flicoteau
authors.forename: Chantel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pradeau
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D002125:Calcium Gluconate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005782:Gels; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid; D002125:Calcium Gluconate