title: Chemical Burn Injury in Kumasi: The Trend and Complications following and Their Management.
abstract: A chemical burn refers to irritation and destruction of human tissue caused by exposure to a chemical, usually by direct contact with the chemical or its fumes. The study investigated the trend and complications following chemical burns and their management.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved a retrospective review of Burns Registry at the Burns Intensive Care Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital on patients who were admitted for burns from May 1, 2009 to April 30, 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chemical burns admissions accounted for 3.5% (n = 17) out of the total 487 burns cases, consisting of 12 males (70.6%) and 5 females (29.4%). Mean total burns surface area was 21.9%; mean length of stay in Burns Intensive Care Unit was 9.5 days. The etiological agents for the chemical burns included the following: hot caustic soda 1 (5.9%); acid 9 (53.9%)-the most common; hot ethanol 3 (17.6%); and other chemicals such as other bases, oxidizers, solvents, etc. accounted for 4 (23.5%) etiological agents. Outcome included 11 discharges (64.7%), 6 transferred out to other wards (35.3%), and 0 deaths (0.0%). The complications included severe scar contractures in 5 patients (29.4%), loss of vision: partial/total = 2 (11.8%), gross keloidal/hypertrophic scars = 10 (58.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chemical burns are severe and often cause severe debilitating sequelae including partial/total loss of vision. But the current study showed that only a small population (3.5%) were affected by chemical burns and no death was recorded; society has to be continually conscious of chemicals, especially caustic agents, and hence take the necessary precautions so as to prevent these avoidable complications.
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Pius
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agbenorku
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akpaloo
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Facharzt
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chirurgie
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aboah
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klutsey
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Paa Ekow
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Hoyte-Williams
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Boutros
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farhat
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Turkson
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yorke
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Facharzt
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chirurgie
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ametih
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Department of Surgery, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Surgery, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; and Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
authors.forename: Romeo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hussey