Case reportVentricular fibrillation following butane gas inhalation
Section snippets
Case report
A 15-year-old healthy school girl was persuaded by peers to try inhaling the contents of a butane gas lighter refill can for the first time. They found a secluded place near a riverbank and the girl began to inhale the contents by direct release into her mouth. Over a 2 h period of intermittent inhalation she was noticed by her peers to be giggling and staggering. Immediately after a final inhalation they were observed by two passing police officers. The group began running away and after a
Discussion
Death from volatile substance abuse (VSA) is one of the leading causes of death in those under 18 years. At age 15, 10% of all deaths and ≈20% of deaths from accidents, violence and poisoning are due to VSA, making it the leading cause of death. This amounts to ≈100 deaths per year. Experimentation may have occurred in 3.5–10% of teenagers and 0.5–1% were regular abusers. The vast majority are male (90%). The largest number of deaths were attributable to butane gas cigarette lighter fluid
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Acute rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney disease due to butane inhalation
2018, Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical CareCitation Excerpt :In Tunisia, Butane is commercially available in cylinders and commonly used as a domestic fuel, therefore, unintentional prolonged exposure leads to potential health hazards in the general population. The most frequent complications of butane inhalation are: asphyxia [2], cardiac arrhythmia [3], neurological complications [4] and death. Fewer cases reported acute massive rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure [5].
Detection of butane gas inhalation at 16 days after hypoxic encephalopathy: A case report
2017, Legal MedicineCitation Excerpt :The potential mechanism for sudden death following the butane inhalation includes asphyxia, trauma after dangerous behavior, respiratory depression, aspiration, and cardiac dysrhythmia. In particular, butane sensitizes the myocardium to the effect of catecholamines and evoke life-threatening tachyarrhythmias [2,11–13]. In such cases, postmortem examination can only reveal nonspecific findings, and the causes of death are often unknown.
Recreational inhalation of butane and propane in adolescents: Two forensic cases of accidental death
2016, Forensic Science InternationalDeath of an adolescent by inhalation of deodorant
2014, Toxicologie Analytique et CliniqueNew trends in the kitchen: Propellants assessment of edible food aerosol sprays used on food
2014, Food ChemistryCitation Excerpt :Ingestion of propane does not seem to cause deleterious effects but the literature available on this subject is scarce. Butane is an oxygen depletant too, and several toxic effects (until death) were already reported when used as recreational drug (sniffing), causing heart arrhythmia for example (Jackowski et al., 2005; Vale, 2007; Williams & Cole, 1998). In aerosol food sprays, these gases are used individually or in liquid petroleum gas (LPG) form as propellant such as in varnish or paints.
Accuracy profile validation of a new analytical method for butane measurement using headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
2013, Journal of Chromatography B: Analytical Technologies in the Biomedical and Life SciencesCitation Excerpt :Rhabdomyolysis was also reported [16,17]. Among butane sniffers, a cardiac arrhythmia such as ventricular fibrillation is often put in evidence at autopsy [18–28]. Blood samples are often analyzed in these cases but other samples such as lung, brain, liver, heart muscle and adipose tissue may also be used because of butane lipophily [29].