A Rare Intervention for an Unusual Exposure

​Children like to put things in their mouth, ears, nose, and eyes. A 9-year-old boy superglued his right eye shut and came to our pediatric emergency department. He thought the glue was an over-the-counter eye lubricant and filled his entire eye with the glue.​​Overdoses and poisonings are a dangerous threat to children. In fact, unintentional poison overdose or ingestion has continued to claim hundreds of children's lives. More than 300 children in the United States ages 0 to 19 are seen at EDs for poisoning and two of them die each year. (CDC. April 28, 2016; http://bit.ly/2kjVmhO.)Not all toxic exposures are ingestions. Chemical burns from household cleaners, too much topical Bengay ("Looking Beyond the Obvious in Toxicology Patients," EMN 2017;39[2]:20; http://bit.ly/2kkVQm6), and even superglue can be dangerous.Medication packaging and labeling and ongoing prevention and educational efforts are being made by pharmaceutical and consumer companies. One retrospective study found that the storage and packaging of medications might be the root of accidental overdose. (Clin Toxicol [Phila] 2013;51[10]:930.) Reengaging childproofing mechanisms and returning medicines to a secure location, high and out of sight, immediately after use may help children avoid toxic exposures.Accidental exposure to superglue in the eye is a rare event. Typically, removal of the eyelashes is required, and corneal abrasions should be considered and treated. Do not hesi...
Source: The Procedural Pause - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs