Fatal Laryngeal Oedema in Cases of Burns: An Evaluation of Inhalational Injuries

The present case, reports the cause of death of a 45-year-old male victim of fire incident. Autopsy findings reveal gross laryngeal oedema with narrowing of the air passage. The burn injuries involved about 8 % of the total body surface area. The person suffered from inhalation injuries along with burn injuries. Inhalational injuries are not easy to diagnose and a clear suspicion of their presence plays a significant role in determining the survival of burn patient. A thorough literature review brought forth the fact that laryngeal oedema and inhalational injuries can be a delayed complication of burn injury and timely intubation could save patient’s life. Incidence of laryngeal oedema, clinical features of inhalational injuries and priorities in inhalational injuries research are discussed in the paper with review of literature.