Aug 18, 2021
Contributor: Ramnik Dhaliwal, MD JD
Educational Pearls:
- Pepper spray is a highly irritating compound with active ingredient of capsaicin
- Techniques to help decontaminate and alleviate symptoms of an exposure include:
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- Disrobing the patient to prevent further exposure
- Half milk of magnesia and half water mixture can be used to soothe the skin in the area of exposure
- Proparacaine followed by Morgan lens to irrigate the eye in adults
- Nasal cannula connected to a liter of normal saline can passively irrigate the eye in small children and other less than cooperating patients
References
Tidwell RD, Wills BK. Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Toxicity. [Updated 2020 Nov 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544263/
Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD