‘Superglue ear’

Krazy Glue® in the ear: A case report of child abuse

Krazy Glue^® or cyanoacrylate glue is an acrylic resin that polymerizes in less than a minute when in contact with moisture or water. We present a case of a one month old referred to our tertiary pediatric otolaryngology clinic from an outside emergency department with a history of application of cyanoacrylate glue in the external ear canals. This report presents the management of this case along with the medical and legal outcomes surrounding this case of child abuse.

Deliberate self-harming application of superglue in the nose: case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Accidental and non-accidental applications of superglue in the ear, nose and oral cavity have been reported previously. Surgical removal of glue from the nose is the current practice.

CASE REPORT

This paper reports the case of an 18-year-old female, who presented with complete bilateral nasal occlusion due to deliberate self-application of superglue in both nostrils to avoid nasogastric tube insertion.

RESULTS

Removal of glue was accomplished with a combination of local anaesthetic cream and acetone-soaked cotton buds, which caused only minimal discomfort to the patient. All traces of glue disappeared within 10 days, without causing damage to the nasal mucosa, nasal blockage or pain.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of deliberate self-application of superglue in the nose. A successful non-surgical management option for the removal of glue from the nose is introduced.

Cyanoacrylate ("superglue") injury to the nasal cavity: case report and a proposed management algorithm

We report the case of a deliberate application of cyanoacrylate adhesive (commonly called "superglue") to the nose of a 9-year-old boy during a fight. The glue was successfully removed under general anesthesia without causing trauma to the nasal mucosa. To the best of our knowledge, only 1 other case of cyanoacrylate injury to the nasal cavity has been published in the literature. We also provide an algorithm to guide clinicians in the future management of this unusual circumstance.

Ocular superglue injury

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence of ocular injuries associated with superglue.

METHODS

A retrospective review of patients attending an accident and emergency department over a 12 month period with ocular superglue injuries.

RESULTS

14 patients who suffered ocular injuries due to superglue were identified. No patients had long term complications from their injury. Management is discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

Superglue eye injuries do not appear to cause long term morbidity.

Removal of superglue from the external ear using acetone: case report and literature review

The ability of superglue preparations (cyanoacrylate) to bond instantly to skin as well as inanimate objects presents a special problem when instilled into the external ear canal. We present two cases of patients who had it successfully removed under the microscope with the help of acetone BP to debond it from the skin, without any damage to the meatus or the tympanic membrane. The third patient had the superglue removed without the help of acetone but sustained damage to the tympanic membrane. A literature review of similar cases is included.

Cyanoacrylate-assisted foreign body removal from the ear and nose in children

Two cases of foreign body removal using cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl blue, B. Braun Australia Pty. Ltd., Sydney, NSW) or tissue glue are described. Both cases involved children with beads, one in the external auditory meatus and the other in the nostril. The benefits of this technique are discussed.