Finnish health authorities have confirmed three separate cases where children received medical glue in their eyes during wound treatment procedures. The incidents occurred within Central Finland's welfare district healthcare system over the past year.
In the most recent case, a five-year-old child had both eyelids accidentally glued shut with surgical adhesive on Tuesday. This follows two similar incidents from last year involving young patients. All three children required hospital treatment following the mishaps.
One case occurred at the Laukaa health station during autumn when medical staff attempted to treat a wound near a child's eye. The child's mother described the incident as painful for her child. She questioned whether medical staff received proper training with the adhesive products.
Medical staff placed the child on their left side during the procedure. The nurse reportedly struggled with the adhesive application. Glue from the first container failed to work properly. The second container then leaked onto the child's face and eyes.
The child eventually transferred to Kuopio University Hospital for specialized care. Medical examinations proved difficult due to severe pain. Doctors needed to anesthetize the child for proper assessment. The original wound never received treatment and left a visible scar.
Healing for the glued eyelid took several weeks. Fortunately, no permanent damage resulted from the incident according to medical reports.
The Finnish Patient Insurance Centre determined these cases qualified as compensable medical injuries. Their assessment concluded more careful procedures could have prevented the glue from reaching the children's eyes. All compensation decisions get forwarded to the relevant welfare districts.
Central Finland's chief medical officer Sari Kemppainen explained tissue adhesive resembles super glue in consistency. The liquid nature means it can potentially drip or run during application. She confirmed their district follows national guidelines for wound care rather than implementing specific local protocols after these incidents.
National health guidelines recommend glue and wound tape for treating children's small, clean-edged superficial wounds rather than stitches. Glue application proves faster, easier and less painful than suturing. Stitches typically require local anesthesia.
Kemppainen emphasized that keeping children still remains crucial with either treatment method. Doctors make the final decision about wound treatment approach. Nurses with proper training and qualifications can perform glue applications in practice.
The welfare district employs approximately 12,000 staff across hundreds of operational units. Serious incident reporting typically focuses on cases involving fatalities or permanent injuries. The district maintains no centralized data tracking for specific types of minor medical incidents.
These cases highlight challenges in Finland's decentralized healthcare system. They raise questions about staff training consistency and incident reporting protocols. Medical adhesives offer clear benefits for pediatric wound care when applied correctly. These incidents demonstrate how routine procedures can quickly become serious when proper precautions aren't followed.
Parents should feel confident asking about staff experience with medical procedures involving their children. Healthcare providers must ensure adequate training before introducing new medical products or techniques. Transparent incident reporting helps identify systemic issues before they affect multiple patients.