[Where there´s smoke - there´s no fire? - Burns from E-Cigarette explosions]. / Viel Rauch und sonst nichts? ­ Verbrennungsfolgen durch E-Zigaretten-Gebrauch.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The popularity of E-Cigarettes is increasing. Besides addiction and pulmonary health damage, reports of burn injuries from e-cigarette explosions are also increasing. Mostly, explosions of e-cigarettes are attributed to its lithium-ion battery. Due to increasing cases and missing guidelines we want to present three cases of our hospital and publish recommendations for the management of burn injuries caused by e-cigarette explosions. PATIENTS/MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three cases of e-cigarette explosions which occurred between 2016 and 2019, are presented. RESULTS: All three e-cigarette explosions occurred in the trouser pockets. Two patients were male one patient was female. The age ranged from 24 to 64 years, the burned total body surface area (TBSA) from 3 % to 12.5 %. All three patients required skin grafting and the length of stay in hospital ranged from five to eleven days. CONCLUSION: In the synopsis of recent literature, we recommend the following management of burns due to e-cigarette explosions. The guidelines of the Advanced Trauma Life Support should be followed, signs of an inhalation trauma should be checked and litmus test should be performed prior to irrigation with aqueous solutions to prevent exothermic reactions with remaining metals. If litmus test shows alkali pH wounds should be irrigated by mineral oil.