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Burns associated with e-cigarette batteries: A case series and literature review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2017

Jamie Harshman*
Affiliation:
Ross Tilley Burn Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Miliana Vojvodic
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
Alan D. Rogers
Affiliation:
Ross Tilley Burn Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
*
Correspondence to: Dr. Jamie Harshman, University of Toronto, 603 Huron St., Toronto, ON M5R 2R8; Email: jamie.e.harshman@gmail.com

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes, often referred to as e-cigarettes, have established a considerable market in North America over the last decade. In parallel to this trend, there has been a surge of e-cigarette battery explosions reported in the general media. Given the growing number of such events, acute care physicians should recognize the associated risks and injury patterns and initiate appropriate treatment. This report presents two cases of burn injuries from e-cigarette battery explosions requiring surgical management. The accompanying comprehensive literature review highlights the emerging importance of e-cigarettes as an aetiology of burn injury.

Résumé

Les cigarettes électroniques ont gagné une place considérable sur le marché, en Amérique du Nord, au cours de la dernière décennie. Parallèlement à la tendance, il s’est produit une hausse importante du nombre d’explosions de piles, signalées dans les médias généralistes. Compte tenu du nombre croissant de pareils événements, les médecins en soins actifs devraient être informés des risques associés à ces explosions et des types de blessures qui en découlent, et appliquer le traitement approprié. L’article expose deux cas de brûlures causées par des explosions de piles de cigarette électronique, qui ont nécessité une intervention chirurgicale. L’examen exhaustif de la documentation qui accompagne cet exposé met en évidence l’importance croissante des cigarettes électroniques comme cause de brûlure.

Information

Type
Case Report
Copyright
© Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2017 
Figure 0

Figure 1 A) Right buttock and thigh burns of the patient in Case I. B) Bilateral anterior thigh burns in the patient in Case I, on the day of the burn injury.

Figure 1

Figure 2 A) Anterior right thigh burn of the patient in Case II on the day of the burn injury. B) E-cigarette battery device and fragment of the casing removed from the thigh of the patient.

Figure 2

Table 1 Academic reports e-cigarette explosions, 2015-2016

Figure 3

Figure 3 Incidence, by media and academic reports, of e-cigarette explosion-related injuries, 2015-2016 (as of June 26, 2016).

Figure 4

Table 2 Media reports of e-cigarette explosions, 2015-2016