Smoke Inhalation – Part 3123

Follow Up

Once the patient leaves the hospital, follow-up care is typically arranged. The patient should return immediately to the emergency department if they feel that their condition is worsening after discharge from the hospital.

  • Medications may be prescribed, such as various inhalers and pain medications.
  • The patient may notice shortness of breath with minimal exertion.
  • It may take time for the lungs to fully heal, and some people may have scarring and shortness of breath for the rest of their lives. Avoid triggering factors, such as cigarette smoke.
  • Persistent hoarseness of the voice may occur in people who have sustained burn or smoke inhalation injuries or both. Early attention to these problems, many of which are treatable surgically or behaviorally or both, could lead to an improved voice.

Prevention

Prevention is key when discussing smoke inhalation. Numerous prevention strategies can be employed to avoid exposure to smoke.

  • Smoke detectors should be placed in every room of occupied buildings. This should ensure early detection of smoke to allow plenty of time for evacuation.
  • Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed in locations at risk for carbon monoxide exposure (such as from malfunctioning furnaces, gas water heaters, kerosene space heaters, propane heaters and stoves, gasoline or diesel generators, and boats with a gasoline engine).
  • Escape routes and plans for how to escape should be worked out prior to the onset of a fire and reviewed often.
  • Numbers for the police, fire department, and your local poison control center should be kept in a visible place in the event of an emergency. Find your poison control center now by checking the Web site of the American Association ofPoison Control Centers.

This concludes our four part blog on Smoke Inhalation.  For more, visit our website at Biowashing.com

About the author: Joe Fiorilli