Assault by burning is a serious form of trauma that often results in higher incidence of inhalation injury, longer intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, and higher mortality rate than is observed in the general burn population. We evaluated the epidemiology and outcome of assault burn victims treated in a tertiary burn center over a 6-year period. Among the 1063 acute burn patients who h...

Inhalation injury is one of the main causes of death in patients with severe burns. Administration of exogenous surfactant appears promising for the treatment of acute respiratory failure. We report our clinical experience with this approach. A 35 yr-old man was admitted to our burns unit after an industrial accident. He had sustained a 60% total body surface area full-thickness burn combined w...

Chlorine is a common agent found worldwide in industrial and household applications. This element is found everywhere and anywhere around the globe. Because of its ubiquitous nature in the world, chlorine-injured patients may be expected at all medical facilities, from large-urban to small-community to austere-tent facilities. Chlorine has been used as a chemical weapon since 1915 and has been ...

 Toxic by all routes of exposure – inhalation, ingestion, skin contact  Carcinogenic in humans  Inhalation of vinyl chloride causes coughing, wheezing and breathlessness, headache, ataxia, drowsiness and coma  Ingestion of vinyl chloride causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and haematemesis may occur.  Skin contact causes irritation, pain, burns and contact dermatitis. Rapid...

Hydrogen sulfide poisoning from inhalation of roofing asphalt fumes is a rare but devastating injury. Two cases of toxic inhalation involving exposure to several gases, including hydrogen sulfide, evolved from cooling asphalt, are presented. Both victims were treated with supportive measures, including 100% normobaric oxygen, and one also received sodium nitrite. In one patient rapid, complete ...

Perfluoroisobutylene (PFIB) is produced as a main by-product in large quantities by the fluoropolymer industry. As a highly toxic compound, even the case of brief inhalation of PFIB can result in acute lung injury (ALI), pulmonary edema and even death. To test for any preventive or therapeutic effects of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a NF-kappaB activation inhibitor, against PFIB inhalati...

OBJECTIVE The role of airway pressure release ventilation in the management of early smoke inhalation injury has not been studied. We compared the effects of airway pressure release ventilation and conventional mechanical ventilation on oxygenation in a porcine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by wood smoke inhalation. DESIGN Prospective animal study. SETTING Government ...