Burn injuries caused by e-cigarette explosions: A systematic review of published cases

• Main Authors: Christopher M. Seitz, Zubair Kabir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Publishing 2018-09-01
• Series: Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
• Subjects: burn; injury; explosion; e-cigarettes
• Online Access: http://www.journalssystem.com/tpc/Burn-injuries-caused-by-e-cigarette-explosions-A-systematic-review-of-published-cases,94664,0,2.html

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’. Peerreviewed 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 seconddegree 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.