Long Term Outcomes After Inhalation Injury

The study of inhalation injury in the acute phase has clearly demonstrated that smoke inhalation results in immediate effects on the cardiorespiratory system that increase acute morbidity and mortality.1,–4 The immediate effects of smoke particles on the pulmonary parenchyma and the lung's response to injury have been documented in both animal models and humans. However, the impact of inhalation injury in the months and years after the initial insult had far less study. The evaluation of the long-term outcomes of any of the therapies discussed in the acute management of inhalation injury will ultimately need to be performed … otherwise, how do we know that what we are doing results in long term success? However, analysis of long-term outcomes needs to be prioritized. In order to compare the long-term outcomes of specific therapies, we first need to understand what the long-term effects of inhalation injury are in general. The purpose of this paper is to outline what constitutes assessment of general health status, followed by a description of what has been reported and what needs to be investigated regarding long term outcomes for people who have sustained smoke inhalation injury.