Abstract

GARNICA ESCAMILLA, Marco Antonio et al. Hydrofluoric acid burn: pathophysiological mechanisms of injury. Med. crít. (Col. Mex. Med. Crít.) [online]. 2022, vol.36, n.6, pp.371-377.  Epub Aug 18, 2023. ISSN 2448-8909.  https://doi.org/10.35366/107460.

Chemical exposure burns are a rare form of injury; however, side effects can be considered catastrophic, in the short, medium and long term. Hydrofluoric acid is a chemical substance belonging to acids, it has industrial and domestic application, being in different concentrations. Hydrogen fluoride is made up of a hydrogen ion and a fluoride ion, which, when in contact with water, acquires its acid state, a characteristic that it acquires gives it greater tissue damage when in contact with them. Literary reports described injuries of 1% of the burned body surface, in a concentration of 50% capable of generating local and systemic toxicity, which leads to death in a matter of hours, if the patient does not receive timely management aimed at stopping the mechanism of injury. which is associated with a decrease in calcium and magnesium electrolytes, as well as an increase in potassium, not without neglecting the corrosive lesion at the local level that conditions the appearance of liquefactive necrosis. The objective of this work is to make known to the personal physician and paramedic the mechanism of injury of hydrofluoric acid, its clinical implications and the therapeutic alternatives.

Keywords : hydrogen fluoride; hydrofluoric acid; necrosis; hypocalcemia; hypomagnesemia; hyperkalemia.