Symptoms and Treatment of Toxic Inhalation Injuries:
An inhalation injury is an acute form of injury to your lungs or respiratory system. It can happen if you inhale a toxic substance such as chemicals, cleaning products, smoke from fire, gases, or particle pollution. Inhalation injuries can also be caused by extreme heat. While this is a serious injury that requires immediate treatment, it can be difficult for physicians to diagnose the severity of injuries because the symptoms of inhalation injuries don’t always appear immediately. Rather, symptoms can become more serious during the first 36 hours. So, what do you look for? In this article we’ll discuss the symptoms and progression of serious inhalation injuries.
Symptoms of Inhalation Injury
The most common inhalation injury is caused by fire. Up to 30% of people with burns will have smoke inhalation and the rate is even higher for facial burns. Inhalation injury increases the risk of death from a fire up to 6 times. It leads to respiratory complications 70% of the time and acute respiratory distress 20% of the time. Symptoms of inhalation injuries include:
- Trouble breathing
- Tightness in the chest or chest pain
- Scratchy throat, hoarseness, or voice changes
- Irritated Sinuses
- Coughing
- Decreased awareness or confusion
For smoke-induced injuries, there are usually three mechanisms causing injuries: heat, particulate inhalants and respiratory irritants, and asphyxiation and systemic toxicity. This means that it’s not just the smoke and particulates inhaled that can harm the respiratory system, but also carbon monoxide and other chemicals found in smoke.
Treating Inhalation Injuries
At the scene of the inhalation injury, patients should receive oxygen, first aid for any burns, and an airway examination. During an initial assessment, it may appear that there is no serious damage to the airway or respiratory system. But swelling of the airway can happen quickly, so a plan should be in place if it might be necessary to intubate a patient. If a patient has soot in the airway or facial burns, the odds are higher that respiratory distress will happen with time and swelling. Respiratory and cardiac support might be needed as well.If you suffer an inhalation injury, seek treatment immediately. Remember that just because you feel fine right now, doesn’t mean that your injury isn’t serious. Over the next 36 hours, your symptoms and injuries may become more severe. Seek medical treatment as soon as possible.Contact us if you were exposed to a toxic substance. We've been helping victims of toxic exposure for decades, and the injuries can be serious and even fatal. Call 888-910-6376 for a free consultation.
