J Korean Soc Plast Reconstr Surg.  1998 Dec;25(8):1480-1483.

Explosive burns following inhalation of butane gas

• Lee SE
• Burm JS
• Chung CH
• Oh SJ

Abstract

Explosive burns following inhalation of butane gas rarely occurred in the past, but recently it has brought about a social problem among groups of teenagers. This constitutes 1.6% of admissions due to flame burn in the burn unit of Hallym Medical Center. A retrospective review during a five-year period identified 48 patients. The male to female ratio was 3:1. The mean age was 16 years and 8 months. The place of accidents were commonly bedrooms or motel rooms. There were nine group settings of 27 patients at the time of the accident. The pneumothorax(n=3) and respiratory difficulty(n=12) were noted on admission. The average burn area was 28.5% of the total body surface area. All patients sustained burn injury on the face, arms and hands, and 24 patients among them had extended burn areas on the trunk and/or lower extremity. Twenty-two patients(mean hospital stay; 51.6%) required skin grafting, and 12 patients (mean hospital stay; 22.3 days) were treated with conservative management. The mortality rate was 10.4 percent. Explosive burns following inhalation of butane gas can result in mortality as well as major burn injuries.

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Arm
Body Surface Area
Burn Units
Burns*
Female
Hand
Humans
Inhalation*
Length of Stay
Lower Extremity
Male
Mortality
Retrospective Studies
Skin Transplantation
Social Problems