A study published in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine (EJEM) has looked at two new methods to treat smoke inhalation. Cyanide poisoning is one of a number of serious health concerns caused by smoke inhalation and so these groundbreaking methods could help to improve wellbeing and long term wellness of patients who have suffered in this way.
The study has met with much praise from those working in the field, and has produced two algorithms which give advice to Emergency Departments in the UK for how to deal with cases of smoke inhalation. It is recommended that these guide the way that patients who have been rescued from house fires are treated in the future, as the UK is a long way behind the rest of Europe in terms of how it treats cyanide poisoning caused by smoke inhalation.
Drawn up by the European Society of Emergency Medicine, the guide was drawn up after the realisation that there was no national guideline in place as to how to deal with cyanide poisoning. It is hoped that, with these algorithms in place, medical staff will be able to follow a recommended process and therefore have better success with the treatment of those suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.
The deadly effects caused by cyanide poisoning after a house fire are under recognised in the UK currently, whereas in other countries, such as France, antidotes to cyanide are given on a much more regular basis, following exposure to smoke. It is well established that cyanide is produced with substances in the house, such as wood, wood, foam and plastic, incompletely combust. Cyanide is present in 52 percent of deaths from house fires and is therefore the greatest cause of mortality from house fires. It can be difficult to confirm the condition and yet it can kill very rapidly, which is why a set programme of treatment is needed.
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