Critically Affected Children Owing to Butane Abuse in Pediatric Intensive Care: Clinical Courses and Outcomes

One of the most common health problems today is volatile substance abuse and toxic gas inhalation. Butane gas, also known as lighter gas, is increasingly used because it causes euphoria, pleasure and joy among adolescents. The most important reasons for this situation are the fact that it is cheap and easy to obtain, and at the same time the legal audit is not very serious. In this article, two adolescent male patients who were followed up in our pediatric intensive care unit after lighter gas inhalation are presented. The first case was discharged, and the second case died despite extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation due to cardiac arrest during admission to our hospital from another center. In our study, it was aimed to draw attention to the fact that butane gas inhalation, which has been increasingly common in childhood, is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality.