Burns & Plastic Surgery, North Bristol NHS Trust Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK
Burns & Plastic Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
BMJ Case Rep. 2024 Jul 24;17(7):e257275. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2023-257275.
There is an increasing trend globally of fire incidents as a direct consequence of battery failures[1-6], but a dearth of reporting in medical literature regarding injuries associated with primary lithium cell explosions. We present the case of an electrical engineer referred to the burns team as a chemical burn secondary to a D-cell lithium battery explosion. Initial assessment revealed an entry wound on the anteromedial thigh leaking contaminated fluid. Orthogonal X-rays demonstrated the battery casing lodged within the posterior thigh compartment. The wound was managed similar to that of a ballistic injury with staged debridement, washout and delayed primary closure. This is the first reported case of a lithium-thionyl chloride battery explosion causing injury. The case highlights various issues for attending teams, including appropriate first aid for chemical burns, consideration of significant soft tissue trauma deep to seemingly innocuous wounds and safeguarding concerns surrounding domestic explosive devices.
全球范围内，由于电池故障直接导致的火灾事件呈上升趋势[1-6]，但医学文献中关于与原锂电池爆炸相关的伤害的报道却很少。我们报告了一起电工因 D 型锂电池爆炸而被烧伤科收治的化学烧伤病例。初步评估显示，前内侧大腿处有一个入口伤口，漏出污染的液体。正交 X 光片显示电池外壳嵌顿于大腿后侧间隙。该伤口的处理类似于弹道伤，分阶段清创、冲洗和延期一期缝合。这是首例报告的锂-亚硫酰氯电池爆炸导致伤害的病例。该病例为接诊团队提出了各种问题，包括对化学烧伤的适当急救、对看似无害的伤口下深部严重软组织创伤的考虑以及对家用爆炸装置的安全顾虑。
