Vietnamese "coining": A burn case report and literature review

"Coining," "coin rubbing," or cao gio, is an ancient Vietnamese folk remedy that is practiced by many Vietnamese-Americans to treat ruiner ailments. T here are few reported cases of serious complications of cao gio; most of th e complications have been minor burns. We present a case report of a 45-yea r-old woman who sustained 22% partial-thickness and full-thickness burns af ter she caught on fire during a coining treatment. She underwent fluid resu scitation, mound care management, and, eventually, burn debridement and aut ografting. She mas discharged 10 days after the operation, with excellent t ake of all of her grafts. However, a contracture of her right axilla did de velop and will require surgical release. This case represents a serious inj ury that can result from traditional cultural forms of medicine.