Temporary amniotic membrane patching for acute chemical burns.

Purpose: To describe the surgical technique, and its usefulness, of temporary amniotic membrane patching (AMP) in the acute phase of ocular chemical injury.

Methods: Temporary AMP with modification in suture placement was performed on five eyes of five consecutive patients inflicted with acute chemical injury having a greater than grade II injury by the Roper-Hall classification.

Results: All patients reported herein presented with a large epithelial defect on the cornea and conjunctiva. Case 3 was classified as grade III while the other four cases were classified as grade II. The causative chemical agents were anhydrous acetic acid in Case 1, calcium oxide in Case 2, sodium hydroxide in Case 3, sodium silicate in Case 4, and sulphuric acid in Case 5. All cases experienced rapid relief of pain after AMP. Epithelialization of the cornea with improvement of visual acuity was observed in all cases when the amniotic membrane was removed within 2 weeks after surgery. During the mean follow-up of 19.6 months, the ocular surface remained stable and no cicatricial complications were noted.

Conclusions: These results suggest that immediate AMP is quite useful for managing moderately severe acute ocular chemical injury by facilitating rapid epithelialization and pain relief, and securing ocular surface integrity.