Pediatric Exposures to Topical Benzocaine Preparations Reported to a Statewide Poison Control System. Vohra, Rais; Huntington, Serena; Koike, Jennifer; Le, Kevin; Geller, Richard J.

Introduction: Topical benzocaine is a local anesthetic commonly used to relieve pain caused byteething, periodontal irritation, burns, wounds, and insect bites. Oral preparations may containbenzocaine concentrations ranging from 7.5% to 20%. Pediatric exposure to such large concentrationsmay result in methemoglobinemia and secondarily cause anemia, cyanosis, and hypoxia. Methods: This is a retrospective study of exposures reported to a statewide poison controlsystem. The electronic health records were queried for pediatric exposures to topical benzocainetreated at a healthcare facility from 2004 to 2014. Cases of benzocaine exposure were reviewedfor demographic and clinical information, and descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: The query resulted in 157 cases; 58 were excluded due to co-ingestants, or miscodingof non-benzocaine exposures. Children four years of age and younger represented the majorityof cases (93%) with a median age of 1 year. There...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research