Histoacryl glue: A burning issue

Cyanoacrylate glue was originally discovered by Coover and colleagues at the Kodak Research Laboratories [Tennessee] in 1942 [1] with methyl-2-cyanoacrylate becoming commercially available as ‘Eastman #910’0, later ‘Super Glue’ in 1958 [2]. Today cyanoacrylate glues such as methyl 2-cyanoacrylate, ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate (commonly sold under trade names like Super Glue and Krazy Glue – Figs. 2–4) are widely available and commonly used by the general public in domestic and industrial environments. The surgical applications of cyanoacrylate glues were suggested soon after their commercial release, in 1959 [3] and their use first reported in the literature in 1969 [4]. In 1998, 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate received United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as a tissue adhesive in skin closure. Today it is employed in most surgical specialities and being applied in novel circumstances in an ever increasing number of procedures [5–7]. Cyanoacrylate glues bond rapidly via an exothermic reaction which inevitably has the potential to cause burns. Surprisingly, given the widespread availability of cyanoacrylate glues such injuries are very rarely reported. We here present a case of an accidental burn following spillage of cyanoacrylate glue onto cotton fabric trousers.