Explosive burns following inhalation of butane gas.
- Author:
Sang Eun LEE
;
Jin Sik BURM
;
Chul Hoon CHUNG
;
Suk Joon OH
- Publication Type:Original Article
- MeSH:
Adolescent;
Arm;
Body Surface Area;
Burn Units;
Burns*;
Female;
Hand;
Humans;
Inhalation*;
Length of Stay;
Lower Extremity;
Male;
Mortality;
Retrospective Studies;
Skin Transplantation;
Social Problems
- From:Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
1998;25(8):1480-1483
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Explosive burns following inhalation of butane gas rarely occurred in the past, but recently it has brought about a social problem among groups of teenagers. This constitutes 1.6% of admissions due to flame burn in the burn unit of Hallym Medical Center. A retrospective review during a five-year period identified 48 patients. The male to female ratio was 3:1. The mean age was 16 years and 8 months. The place of accidents were commonly bedrooms or motel rooms. There were nine group settings of 27 patients at the time of the accident. The pneumothorax(n=3) and respiratory difficulty(n=12) were noted on admission. The average burn area was 28.5% of the total body surface area. All patients sustained burn injury on the face, arms and hands, and 24 patients among them had extended burn areas on the trunk and/or lower extremity. Twenty-two patients(mean hospital stay; 51.6%) required skin grafting, and 12 patients (mean hospital stay; 22.3 days) were treated with conservative management. The mortality rate was 10.4 percent. Explosive burns following inhalation of butane gas can result in mortality as well as major burn injuries.
