Broken thermometer in hand: mercury elevation caused by improper debridement.

BACKGROUND Mercury exposure from broken thermometers is still common in China. CASE REPORT Here, we report a 2-year-old girl with elevated mercury concentrations in her blood and urine due to improper debridement after pricked by a broken thermometer. She underwent the first debridement at a local hospital, but radiographs showed a dot-like mercury deposit turned into multiple dispersed beads in her wrist tissue. Although the patient had no signs or symptoms of mercury poisoning, her blood and urinary mercury concentrations were significantly elevated. Several radio-opaque densities remained in her hand until a second debridement. At 2 years follow-up, her mercury concentrations in blood and urine and her hand radiograph were normal. CONCLUSIONS Careful debridement after injury by broken thermometer is important in order to remove mercury in tissues and to prevent its dispersion and further absorption.