November 29th, 2023 By; Peter Lutz, MD
Mass Casualty Inhalation Injuries
Today, we watched a video made by Dr. Peter Lutz on inhalation injuries. He began by discussing the difference between the upper and lower airways and the different injuries they can have. The lower airway will only experience severe injuries if there is a toxic inhalant. Some of the toxic inhalants are asphyxiants, which are things like carbon monoxide or cyanide, pulmonary irritants, which are edema/swelling, airway spasms, sloshing of tissue, or systemic toxins.
Some symptoms of inhalation injuries can be trouble breathing, coughing, wheezing, hoarseness, wet sounds, and/or using their shoulders to breathe. The extent of an injury depends on the timing, whether it's fast or slow exposure. Some of the warning signs for inhalation entries can vary from facial burns to wheezing or ash in the mouth or nose. Some major warning signs that indicate severe inhalation injuries are Burns around the neck, severe facial burns, confusion, or mouth edema. The treatment for different kinds of inhalation injuries can vary; some of the most common are tracheostomy or a bronchoscopy.
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