[A new treatment method for hydrochloric acid burns of the hand]

The progression of hydrofluoric acid corrosion on the hands, which cannot be arrested by other means and leads to crippling or amputation, can be stopped by one single or several repeated intra-arterial perfusions of 10 ml 20% calcium-gluconate solution in 40 ml normal saline over 4 hours as close to the defect as possible via the brachial artery or one of the forearm arteries. In 4 patients, with corrosion of a severity judged to be between first and third degree, spontaneous healing resulted after this treatment. Based on our experience we advise the use of intra-arterial perfusion and show its advantages over subcutaneous injections or intravenous infusion of calcium.