Smoke Inhalation
Basics
Description
Description
- Suspect smoke inhalation in anyone involved in a fire within a closed space or with a history of loss of consciousness
- May cause direct injury to the upper (supraglottic) airway structures
- May cause chemical/irritant effect to lower airway structures
- May cause systemic toxicity from inhaled substances
Etiology
Etiology
- Direct heat injury from heated gases/smoke:
- Limited to supraglottic structures because of the heat-dissipating properties of the upper airway
- Irritant effect from smoke components
- Systemic toxicity from inhaled cellular toxins:
- Carbon monoxide
- Hydrogen cyanide
ALERT
Inhalation of steam can be rapidly fatal:
- Steam has ∼4,000 times the heat-carrying capacity of hot air
- Can rapidly cause obstructive glottic edema, thermally induced tracheitis, and hemorrhagic edema of the bronchial mucosa
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Smoke Inhalation." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307453/all/Smoke_Inhalation.
Smoke Inhalation. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307453/all/Smoke_Inhalation. Accessed October 7, 2024.
Smoke Inhalation. (2020). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (6th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307453/all/Smoke_Inhalation
Smoke Inhalation [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. [cited 2024 October 07]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307453/all/Smoke_Inhalation.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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T1 - Smoke Inhalation
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BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult
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