Vaping induced pneumonitis: a small community hospital’s case series and analysis

Abstract

Background: Electronic cigarettes/e-cigarettes (ECs), or vaping, is currently the most popular form of smoking amongst youth in the United States. ECs are battery-powered devices that vaporize a liquid that comes in small cartridges, or pods, that contain various chemicals, nicotine, and an array of flavors that can be modified to include cannabinoids (THC). With increasing popularity, however, there is an epidemic of pulmonary and gastrointestinal illnesses associated with vaping in the continental U.S.A. Methods: We analyzed medical charts of three patients who were active users of ECs and presented with pneumonitis to our community medical center between January and August 2019. Results: We report three cases of vaping pneumonitis in young adults, ages 18 to 21, who presented with similar symptoms, profiles, imaging studies, and disease progression. The average length of stay was approximately one week, and all patients had an extensive work-up in addition to a relapsing and remitting course of their condition. Conclusions: Early recognition and diagnosis of vaping pneumonitis are essential in the treatment of the ongoing epidemic. Extensive unnecessary work up may lead to increased healthcare costs. Our case series echoes the concerns of the CDC such that ECs should be avoided, and those with any pulmonary or gastrointestinal symptoms should seek medical attention promptly.

Complicações pulmonares e extrapulmonares associadas ao uso de cigarros eletrônicos: uma revisão integrativa

“…Além de ser um tóxico por si só, existe o potencial de que a pirólise e vaporização do acetato de vitamina E produz gases tóxicos que podem aumentar as lesões pulmonares (Kalininskiy et al, 2019;Artunduaga et al, 2020;Chidambaram, et. al., 2020;Edmonds, et al, 2020;Silverman, et al, 2020;Striley & Nutley, 2020;Narimani & da Silva, 2020;Suhling, et al, 2020;Medeiros, et al, 2021).…”