[Burn injuries of the respiratory organs]

Burn injuries are very serious injuries. Their prognosis is markedly adversely affected by burns of the respiratory organs. The author describes the aetiology, clinical picture and therapeutic principles of these injuries. Fibroptic tracheobronchoscopy made not only documentation of findings on the respiratory organs possible, but due to its sparing character it makes also endobronchial treatment possible. Despite this the prognosis of these injuries is very poor, as apparent from an analysis of 36 patients hospitalized in 1981-1986 in the Centre for the Treatment of Burns in the Factory Institute for National Health in the East Slovakia Ironworks, which serves the entire Slovak territory; the patients were examined and treated in collaboration with the ENT department of the Factory Institute for National Health of the East Slovakian Ironworks.