TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - Burn injuries caused by e-cigarette explosions: a systematic review of published cases JO - Tobacco prevention and cessation A1 - Seitz, Christopher M. A1 - Kabir, Zubair SP - e32 EP - e32 VL - 4 IS - N2 - INTRODUCTION: E-cigarettes have the potential to cause burns from batteries that explode. Although e-cigarette explosion burns have been reported by the media (e.g. local online news, blogs), there is a need for a comprehensive review of published medical case reports regarding these injuries.

METHODS: CINAHL and PubMed were systematically searched using common terms regarding e-cigarettes (electronic cigarette, e-cigarette, vape, vaping, electronic nicotine delivery systems) in every combination with the term 'explosion'. Peer-reviewed articles were included if they: were written in English, described case reports of burn injuries caused by e-cigarette explosions, and were published in any year. Cases were categorized by demographics, location of the e-cigarette explosion, burned body areas, types of burns, total body surface area of burns, the need for skin grafting, and the length of hospital stay.

RESULTS: Thirty-one articles were included in the review and described 164 cases. Most patients (90%) were male and between 20 to 29 years old. In the majority of cases (65%), e-cigarettes exploded in pockets, compared to exploding in the face or hand. Common burned areas included the thigh, hand, genitals, and face. Burn severity was typically second-degree burns (35%) or a combination of second-degree and third-degree burns (20%). In all, 48 patients required skin grafting, with 19 reporting a median hospital stay of 5 days.

CONCLUSIONS: This review has several implications, including the need for regulation of batteries, education regarding battery safety, and leveraging images of the severity of e-cigarette explosion burns to discourage the use of e-cigarettes.

© 2018 Seitz C. M.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 2459-3087 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.18332/tpc/94664 ID - ref1 ER -