Exploding e-cigarettes are now adding to the already controversial debate on the use of the devices. Victims of exploding vaping devices are on the rise, and doctors at the University of Washington Medicine Regional Burn Center in Seattle report around two patients a month coming in with severe burns.
The most recent victim of an exploding e-cigarette had injuries so severe that he had to be admitted to the trauma intensive care unit of the hospital, according to Dr. Elisha Brownson, who relates that the injuries were unlike any she had seen before in burn patients.
Fifteen cases of burns and injuries sustained due to these devices blowing up were cataloged in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports. All of the patients used electronic cigarettes, which run on a lithium-ion battery that heats a liquid that is then inhaled in vapor form.
Lithium-ion batteries are safe, but some can overheat, causing an explosion called “thermal runaway.”
The patients who were admitted to the UW burn center from October 2015 to June 2016 suffered this overheating. Among them, 80% had flame burns, while 33% had chemical burns from the compounds in the batteries. Also, 27% of the patients garnered blast injuries.
The most common site for injuries were the groin or thighs at 53%, the hands at 33%, and the face at 20%, states the hospital report. Many of the injuries have left the patients disfigured, while other wounds have affected physical function. Other effects were lost teeth, lost soft tissue such as skin, ligaments and tendons, and “traumatic tattoos.”
Brownson cautions people who use e-cigarettes to be aware of the dangers of exploding batteries. To minimize the risk, she recommends that users not modify the devices in any way and keep the batteries safely stored when not in use.
The doctors predict that as vaping continues to rise, such incidents will likely increase, as well. “We suspect that with the growing use of [personal vaporizers], many hospitals around the country will see an increase in injuries related to e-cigarette explosions,” they said.
