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Loren T. DeWind, MD
Downey, Calif

JAMA. 1980;244(15):1674-1675.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The report of Norman L. Gottlieb, MD, and Neal S. Penneys, MD, PhD (243:1260, 1980), "Spontaneous Skin Tearing During Systemic Corticosteroid Treatment," deserves emphasis from the standpoint of potential hospital liability.

Report of a Case.—

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital for investigation of weight loss and an upper abdominal mass. She had been treated for chronic recurring synovitis of the knees with dexamethasone in dosages from 0.5 to 1.5 mg daily intermittently for ten years. During this period, the skin of her forearms became extremely thin, and she experienced several episodes of subcutaneous extravasation of blood.

On the fourth hospital day, she was transported to the x-ray department, where it was noted that she had two superficial tears in the skin of the left forearm with gaping margins. Attempts were made to suture the skin edges together, but the sutures tore through the skin. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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