Hexafluorine® solutions

Chronic Chemical Skin Injuries and HEXAFLUORINE Solution. . 136... 

Improve the mechanical effect of water by attracting the chemicals and stopping their penetration through the skin. DIPHOTERINE and HEXAFLUORINE solutions are to chemicals what soap is to grease. They improve the washing effect and leave a cleaner surface. DIPHOTERINE solution is not only water but, to continue this picture, it is water plus soap. ... 

Comparing the properties of DIPHOTERINE and HEXAFLUORINE solutions (Table 4.7). 

So, washing with water was a major improvement over non-washing. The use of DIPHOTERINE and HEXAFLUORINE solutions allows further treatment improvement over washing with water only. It therefore reduces the likelihood of injury due to chemical skin exposure. An amphoteric/chelating agent is able to stop or limit, as described in Chap. 3, the reactivity of chemicals such as acids, bases, oxidizers, reducers, chelating agents, and solvents. This property avoids or limits the skin lesions which result in chemical lesion injuries. 

A study in a hospital is more concretely realizable such as the study done in Martinique for the ocular decontamination, involving the whole specialized chain of emergency [240,241]. However, in the case of hospital care, it is undeniable that the decontamination can only be done later, when the victim arrives in the vicinity of the ambulance or when the patient arrives in the emergency room, hi this situation, the primary goal of making a specific decontamination just after the chemical contact cannot be achieved. The claims are different, although complementary, primary care against secondary care. Anyway these delayed cares are completely out of the recommended protocol of specific DIPHOTERINE and HEXAFLUORINE solutions for optimal activity the use within 1 min after the cutaneous splash, in order to avoid or minimize the initial lesions of chemicals. 

HEXAIT.UORINE solution can provide the mechanical removal at the surface of the skin, as water does, and can avoid the wash-in effect due to its physical hyperosmolarity and restores pH toward neutral value because of its additional amphoteric properties, without any exothermic reaction. With its chelating properties, it will avoid fluoride ion diffusion into the skin. HEXAFLUORINE solution is nonirritant to the eye and the skin, nontoxic (oral LDso> 2,000 mg/kg in rats), and nonsensitizing [202]. 

With this model of human skin explant, after the validation of the experimental bum, the challenge was to compare various methods for washing HF bums. We selected two of them water washing followed by application of a 2.5 % calcium gluconate (CaG) cutaneous gel with topical application versus HEXAFLUORINE solution as a specific washing solution, which, due to its anti-acid and fluoride ion-chelating properties, matches the two dangers of HF corrosion and toxicity. 

The second part of this study was set with the same burned explants (30 pi 70 % HF for 20 s) to compare tap water washing for 15 min (volume around 2 L per explant) followed by superficial application of 2.5 % CaG and HEXAFLUORINE solution washing (400 mL during 10 min). 

Figure 4.66a, b show histological aspects at 24 h without any washing, compared to aspects after water washing and calcium gluconate (Fig. 4.67a, b) at the same time and HEXAFLUORINE solution (Fig. 4.68a, b). 

Fig. 4.68 (a) and (b) HF exposed explants rinsed with HEXAFLUORINE solution aspect at 24 h. Epidermis (a) dermis (b). Good morphology of the cells in the epidermis and dermis... 

Calcium gluconate acts like a fluoride ion chelator. But its chelating constant is weaker than that of the HEXAFLUORINE solution. 

Burned in the same conditions, the explants washed with HEXAFLUORINE solution show no lesion at all whatever the time of observation, from 1 min to 24 h. 

This experiment also shows that an efficient washing can be achieved by following the protocol of HEXAFLUORINE solution used within a minute. Beyond the standard protocol, the use of calcium gluconate after washing with 14EXAFLUORINE solution will be an interesting additional care under the responsibihty of a medical staff. 

The severity of the bum was significantly less, at days 2 and 3, for the group water+CaGlu compared to the group HEXAFLUORINE solution, but this was not observed at days 4 and 5 (Fig. 4.72). 

Table 4.17 Comparison of the properties of tap water, DIPHOTERINE , and HEXAFLUORINE solutions...

The authors conclude that there is no difference between water alone and HEXAFLUORINE solution. However, considering that there is no significant difference excepting the value between water and water+CaGlu at 1 h for potassium level (4.8 vs. 4.3 mmol/L), we can conclude that there is no significant difference in the three groups. 

Case repOTts (Table 4.18) or series of cases (Tables 4.19 and 420), washed in Ihe wrakplace with HEXAFLUORINE solution, have been pubhshed. As a consequence, HEXAFLUORINE solution... 

Using the Dunser s table (Table 4.14 above), five accidents could have presented lethal risk among the 26 skin cases reports to hydrofluoric acid, but no sign of systemic effect was observed. Decontamination with HEXAFLUORINE solution was immediately performed in most of the cases and followed by calcium gluconate, if needed. No surgical treatment or long hospitalization was necessary, except with a delayed use, where the HF bum has already developed. 

DIPHOTERINE and HEXAFLUORINE solutions are following ISO standards 15154-1,2, 3, and 4 in equivalence with American National Standard for Emergency Safety Showers (ANSI Z358.1) for chemical decontamination. 

HEXAFLUORINE solution, apply a treatment based on a chelating fluoride antidote such as calcium gluconate. 

HEXAFLUORINE solution takes advantageously the place of water decontamination. This solution with hypertonic and chelating properties is specifically dedicated to HF injuries [275]. 

The hypertonicity prevents penetration of HF into the tissues and is able to pick it up from the depth of the tissues. Its chelating capacities aim to be active against corrosive (H ) and toxic (F ) components which are the causes of the characteristic seriousness of HF injuries. Another significant advantage of the HEXAFLUORINE solution is that it remains active even if its use is delayed for hours. 

Now, when patients are coming in hours of accident, the decontamination of the lesions with HEXAFLUORINE solution permits to avoid intra-arterial infusion of calcium gluconate solution with its potential complications. Nevertheless, we continue to apply calcium gluconate gel during 1 or 2 days. 

HF/HCl bath Total immersion HEXAFLUORINE solution on the body Slight bums on the abdomen and the back... 

HF vapor [266] Right cheek HEXAFLUORINE solution Slight painless erythema. Application the next day with calcium gluconate gel, no lost work time... 

HF Body HEXAFLUORINE solution No burns, no lost work time... 

Utilization of Hexafluorine solution when it is known that the involved product is based on HF (hydrofluoric acid or a derivative). 

It is obvious that the corneal opacity from HF-Ca complexes is completely absent in the case of rinsing with Hexafluorine solution. There is a clear corneal opacity in all other rinsing solutions (a-c) [19]. 

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