Subcutaneous injection of household spray insecticide: a rare cause of soft tissue damage

Abstract

Subcutaneous injection of small amounts of household insecticides or other hydrocarbon-based products may produce marked tissue damage. Chemical cellulitis may progress to form sterile abscesses, which are the result of a direct toxic effect of hydrocarbons and are not bacterial in origin, as consistently shown by microbial cultures. Formation of these sterile abscesses may be prolonged, as in the case presented here, but more often manifest within the first week after injection. Early recognition of abscess formation allows rapid intervention and shorter convalescence. All cases require incision, drainage or débridement. Although routinely used, we question the necessity of prophylactic antibiotic treatment, as evidenced by the sterility of all cultures and the fact that subsequent abscess formation was not prevented by their use. Close medical observation, preferably in an ICU, setting is necessary to exclude systemic toxicity which is related to the cholinesterase inhibitor component and may occur as late as 60 h after injection.

Orbital Compressed Air and Diesel Explosion Injury Resembling Orbital Cellulitis: An Unusual Case

“…Diesel fuels contain all the classes of hydrocarbons: paraffins, napthenes, and aromatics, and in small concentrations, olefins. It was noted that hydrocarbons damage the tissue by dissolving the lipid-rich membranes of the microvasculature and act as a defatting agent, similar in action to liquefaction necrosis [ 5 , 6 ]. Based on the studies of…”