[Chemical burn caused by povidone-iodine]

Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is a widely used antiseptic because of its low toxicity and high germicidal effect. A one-year-old boy who had undergone Nissen's fundoplication developed a chemical burn on his back postoperatively. The lesion was exposed to the surgical sheet immersed with a large amount of 10% PVP-I solution for 4 hours. Patch test with PVP-I (small aluminum chamber keeps a wet paper with PVP-I) revealed positive response in the patient. The same patch tests were performed in 17 volunteers. Sixteen subjects showed positive and one negative, while direct painting of a small quantity of PVP-I on skin without the chamber produced negative responses. This may indicate that prolonged exposure to wet PVP-I is harmful. It is important to use PVP-I carefully for the prevention of contact dermatitis.