Abstract/Text: Inhalation injury (INHI) associated with thermal injury has been shown to increase the rate of mortality. Several investigators have shown that patients with inhalation and burn injuries will require increased fluid volumes during acute resuscitation when compared with patients with burn injury alone. Other groups have examined the use of lung compliance and airway resistance as predictors of outcome in patients with INHI. We hypothesized that increased fluid requirements would more closely correlate with perturbations in pulmonary performance than with mere presence or absence of INHI or the degree of injury by bronchoscopic criteria. We performed a retrospective chart review during a period of 3 years. We identified 80 patients with suspected INHI that required intubation, mechanical ventilation, and fiber optic bronchoscopy in the first 24 hours of their admission. Variables collected included age, sex, weight and %TBSA burned, as well as blood alcohol level, the presence of head and neck burns and escharotomies, and admission carbon monoxide levels. Patients were classified into five groups according to a grading system of INHI (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4), derived from findings at initial bronchoscopy and based on AIS criteria. The following pulmonary parameters were noted at regular intervals: mode of ventilation, tidal volume, peak inspiratory pressures, mean airway pressures, and compliance. The P:F ratio also was recorded at regular intervals. Total fluid volume infused was noted at 0-, 24-, and 48-hour intervals, and was calculated as ml/kg/%TBSA. Outcomes were measured by in-hospital survival, ventilator days, intensive care unit days, and total length of stay. Patients were well matched for %TBSA among the different bronchoscopic grades of INHI, and those with grades 2, 3, and 4 injuries had a significantly worse survival than those with grades 0 or 1 (P = .03). However, grades 2, 3, and 4 did not have increased acute fluid requirements when compared with grades 1 and 2 injuries. Initial pulmonary compliance likewise did not correlate with acute fluid requirements. However, those patients with a P:F ratio less than 350 at presentation had a statistically significant increase in ml/kg/%TBSA compared with those with P:F >350 (P = .03). They did not have more ventilator days or a statistically worse survival. Fiber optic bronchoscopy is useful in the diagnosis of INHI, and overall survival is worse in those patients with worse grades of injury by bronchoscopic criteria. However, the P:F ratio may be a more accurate predictor of increased fluid requirements during the acute resuscitation.

Abstract/Text: AIM: For patients with inhalation injury, the indications for early intubation are diverse. The purpose of this study was to identify the most reliable symptoms, physical findings, and medical examinations with which to determine the indications for early intubation in patients with inhalation injury.
METHODS: We retrospectively collected patient data from medical records. Collected data included age, sex, burn size, symptoms, physical findings, carboxyhemoglobin levels (COHb), and bronchial wall thickness (BWT) determined from chest computed tomography images. We analyzed the relationships between these findings and the early intubation. We performed fiberoptic bronchoscopy in all patients, and analyzed the relationships between bronchoscopic severity and other findings.
RESULTS: Of the 205 patients, 80 patients were diagnosed as having inhalation injury, and 34 patients were intubated. Burn size, facial burns, neck burns, use of accessory respiratory muscles, and COHb seemed to be related with intubation, whereas singed nasal hair was not. If the patients suffered ≥27% total body surface area burn and BWT ≥3.5 mm, the positive predictive value for early intubation was 1.00. If the patients suffered smaller cutaneous burn without neck burn, and their COHb <4.0%, the negative predictive value for early intubation was 0.97. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy findings from above the glottis were mainly related with patients' symptoms. Findings from below the glottis were mainly related with BWT and COHb.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients' symptoms, especially use of accessory respiratory muscles, are reliable, and BWT and COHb are also useful tools, for determining the indication for early intubation.

Abstract/Text: BACKGROUND: Fiber-optic bronchoscopy is widely used for the early diagnosis of inhalation injury. However, there is no current bronchoscopic classification of inhalation injury for the prediction of acute lung injury (ALI). Our goal was to devise such a classification.
METHODS: Between February 1993 and January 2002, 167 patients with highly suspicious inhalation injuries were collected. All patients received fiber-optic bronchoscopy within 24 h after their accident. In total, 108 patients were diagnosed as positive under direct inspection. The patients were divided into three groups (G(1), G(2), and G(3)) according to the depth of mucosal damage. Six patients were found to be positive by biopsy and were assigned to group Gb. Of these 114 positive cases, 27 developed ALI. Meanwhile, 53 patients were diagnosed as negative; these patients were assigned to group G(0).
RESULTS: After analysis, the following results were noted: G(0) (n = 53), two ALI (3.8%); G(1) (n = 49), two ALI (4%); G(2) (n = 46), 15 ALI (33%); G(3)(n = 13),10 ALI (77%); Gb (n = 6), no ALI. We discovered that the deeper the mucosal injuries, the higher the rate of ALI. There were no deaths related to the procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: Fiber-optic bronchoscopy is a safe and effective method for the early diagnosis of inhalation injuries. Also, it is a good predictor of ALL. We hope that in the near future, this classification will serve as a treatment guideline for the early prevention of ALI. The more severe the damage, the more alert clinicians need to be to improve the patient's chances for survival.

Abstract/Text: Relatively few reports exist regarding isolated smoke inhalation injuries in human patients. In this study, we describe the acute manifestations and short-term evolution of respiratory injuries after isolated smoke inhalation in victims of fires. Ninety-six patients admitted as the result of a subway fire were examined for acute respiratory dysfunction with clinical outcomes. Some of the survivors suffering from less severe injuries were evaluated for changes in pulmonary function over time, with the effects of steroid treatment. In 13 patients (14%), immediate respiratory failure resulted from ventilatory insufficiency, which was induced principally by mechanical airway obstruction, and manifested as significantly lowered pH and higher PaCO2 levels than in the patients requiring no mechanical ventilation. Toilet bronchoscopy allowed for early liberation from mechanical ventilation. Along with the death of 4 patients (4%), vocal cord and tracheal stenosis were noted in 5 patients and 1 patient, respectively, among 17 patients for whom endotracheal intubation was required. Pulmonary functions improved significantly after 3 months, with no further changes being observed within the subsequent 3 months. Steroid therapy resulted in no additional improvements in the pulmonary functions of these patients. In patients with isolated smoke inhalation injuries, immediate ventilatory insufficiency resulting from mechanical airway obstruction should be watched for, and managed via toilet bronchoscopy. Vigilance is required to avoid airway complications after endotracheal intubation. The improvement of pulmonary functions progressed primarily within the first 3 months, whereas short-course steroid therapy exerted no influence on the eventual recovery of pulmonary functions in the less severe cases.