Thermal and chemical burns caused by e-cigarette battery explosions

E-cigarettes have become the main alternative to traditional cigarettes. An increasing number of explosive accidents with e-cigarettes have been described over the past years. Through our experience of sixteen consecutive cases, we wanted to acquire a better understanding of the origins and to specify the principles of management for these particular new burns.

A retrospective study was conducted to review all cases of burns related to e-cigarettes referred to our burn center from April 2014 through May 2019. Several key data were collected in relation to the patients, the circumstances and characteristics of the burns, their treatment and follow-up.

In the past five years, sixteen patients were burned by e-cigarette explosions. They were all males with an average age of 41 years. They all had second or third degree burn injuries. The average burned area was 5% TBSA. The areas that were burned were the hands, buttocks, thorax, thighs and genital areas, and were always related to clothes pocket location. Eight patients described an increase in pain after cooling, suggesting significant contamination of the burn by lithium-ion deposits. Six required surgical management with excision and split-thickness skin graft. The others healed spontaneously in several weeks.

Burns by e-cigarette lithium batteries explosion have a double mechanism (thermal and chemical). Carrying cigarettes in a pocket close to the body is a significant risk factor to which the male population is particularly exposed. Early debridement is recommended when possible while initial cooling does not seem helpful and is sometimes painful.