Interview with Parag Kulkarni, A&E physician in India: ‘Diphoterine® solution helps workers’

Prevor: What do you do and where do you live?
Parag Kulkarni: I’m a surgeon in an industrial area in Boisar, near the city of Tarapur, India. I treat chemical burns. There are a lot of chemical factories here, so, I often treat burns caused by these products. We get a lot of accidents with acids and alkalis. We try to treat these cases.

Prevor: How many chemical factories are there in your region?
PK: We have 1,521 factories here in Boisar. Half of these factories use chemicals. Most of these sites have Diphoterine® solution to protect workers. With the Coronavirus, some factories are closed in India but before then, I would receive a burn victim every two days. We often use Diphoterine® solution.

Prevor: What happens when a patient with chemical burns arrives?
PK: When the patients arrive, most of them have been rinsed with Diphoterine® solution on the areas impacted on their body. We treat them too. When they arrive, they are in a lot of pain. The pain is relieved when we apply Diphoterine® solution.

Prevor: How long have you used Diphoterine® solution for?
PK: I have used Diphoterine® solution since 2015. Over the past five years, and it has been effective every time. Healing time is effective for workers. Most patients want to get back to work as quickly as possible, and Diphoterine® solutions really helps them do this.

Prevor: Are the Indian workers you have met in favour of the use of Diphoterine® solution?
PK: Workers are pleased to see that Diphoterine® solution is useful and helps reduce pain. It also shortens injury treatment time, helping them to get back to work quickly. They need to work to support their families. They want an effective and quick treatment.

“Sometimes patients arrive some time after the accident but we can still treat them thanks to Diphoterine® solution.”

Prevor: Have you noticed good results after applying Diphoterine® solution?
PK: We treat cases involving skin and eyes. Corrosive burns are fairly common in India. Sometimes patients arrive some time after the accident but we can still treat them thanks to Diphoterine® solution. Healing is quick. There are no sequalae after Diphoterine® solution is used.

Prevor: Are some chemical burns treated with water? Is there a risk of hypothermia?
PK: This is uncommon in India due to the heat but, in other countries, some workers are rinsed with cold water. This situation can result in hypothermia as well as an incorrectly cleansed chemical burn. Diphoterine® solution should be used for these cases.

Prevor: Is water drainage effective in India in factories where chemicals are present?
PK: Some shower systems are old and poorly maintained, and it’s true that Diphoterine® solution, by its properties, can avoid this type of complication, with good drainage of wastewater.