title: Survival after hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia and cardiac arrest following mild hydrofluoric acid burn.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although hydrofluoric (HF) acid burns may cause extensive tissue damage, severe systemic toxicity is not common after mild dermal exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 36-year-old worker suffered a first-degree burn of 3% of his total body surface area as a result of being splashed on the right thigh with 20% HF acid. Immediate irrigation and topical use of calcium gluconate gel prevented local injury. However, the patient developed hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia, bradycardia, and eventually had asystole at 16 h post-exposure, which were unusual findings. He was successfully resuscitated by administration of calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report highlights a late risk of HF acid dermal exposure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Toxicology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. mlwu@vghtpe.gov.tw
authors.forename: Ming-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Juo-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Ju-Sing
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid / Q000506:poisoning*; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid