How dangerous are respiratory burns?
When the environmental temperature is too high, such as in a fire, inhaling hot air into the body will damage the airways from the nose to the lungs, causing internal burns.
Nearly 60 people were hospitalized in the Carina Plaza apartment fire (District 8, Ho Chi Minh City). Most of the victims suffered severe respiratory burns from inhaling smoke and dust, but no skin burns.
Dr. Nguyen Nhu Lam, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Burns, explained that respiratory burns are very dangerous and are inside the body, making them difficult to observe, difficult to treat, and have dangerous complications.
When the environmental temperature is too high, such as in a fire, people inhale hot air into their bodies, causing damage to the mucous membranes and airways from the nose to the lungs. First, there is a state of respiratory burns that causes edema and secretions in the airways; then the airways narrow, the body's lack of oxygen becomes even more lacking, causing more edema, and at some point the body will be poisoned by lack of oxygen.
In addition, victims can also be poisoned by gases formed during the fire such as CO and Cyanide, causing death very quickly.
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Emergency care for victims of apartment fire with respiratory burns. Photo:Le Phuong |
Respiratory burns cause three types of damage: direct thermal damage, airway necrosis; inhalation of toxic gases, irritation of airway damage, lung damage; toxic gases CO and Cyanide seep from the lungs into the blood.
According to Dr. Lam, patients with respiratory burns often suffer from very serious lung damage, leaving many complications such as respiratory failure. In the early stages, patients have airway obstruction due to phlegm, due to necrotic mucosa and peeling off into the airway leading to death. In the late stages, patients have pneumonia, progressive acute respiratory distress syndrome, with an 80% mortality rate.
Therefore, patients with respiratory burns need to be treated promptly, taken to a ventilated area or given oxygen immediately to remove CO and Cyanide from the body. Patients are given airway endoscopy to find foreign objects, suction blocked sputum, and diagnose the location and extent of the burn to have an appropriate treatment regimen.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thong, former Head of the Burn Department, Saint Paul Hospital (Hanoi), toxic gases produced from fires are extremely dangerous. Among patients hospitalized for smoke inhalation, doctors often encounter cases of CO poisoning. This gas is very toxic to the respiratory and circulatory systems. In mild cases, patients may experience vomiting, headaches, and mental disorders; in severe cases, coma, cardiovascular collapse, and death. Depending on the concentration, the patient's constitution, and the time of smoke inhalation, the poisoning can be mild or severe.
Experts recommend that people who inhale smoke should not be subjective and should go to the doctor because it can potentially lead to pneumonia. Especially if there are symptoms of cough, mild difficulty breathing, coughing up black phlegm like soot, headache, nausea, rapid breathing, rapid pulse, they should go to the hospital immediately.
In case of fire or heavy smoke, find an exit by staying low to the floor, not standing high. Escape to the balcony and wait for rescue or go down the stairs; use a wet towel to cover your nose and mouth to prevent toxic substances from entering your respiratory tract.
How to prevent smoke inhalation in case of fire
(Baonghean.vn) - The 13 deaths at Carina apartment building were determined to be mainly due to smoke inhalation. So what should you do to avoid smoke inhalation in case of fire?
