A survey of current practices in the diagnosis of and interventions for inhalational injuries in Canadian burn centres.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize current Canadian practice patterns in the diagnosis of and interventions for inhalation injuries (INHI).

METHODS: A 10-question survey regarding the diagnosis of and interventions for INHI was sent to the medical directors of all 16 burn centres across Canada.

RESULTS: The response rate to the survey was 50%. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy is required for the diagnosis of INHI in only four centres (50%). The departments of intensive care, plastic surgery, otolaryngology and respirology are involved in performing fibreoptic bronchoscopy in 87.5%, 37.5%, 12.5% and 12.5% of Canadian burn centres, respectively. Intubation for INHI is most often based on physical examination results (87.5%) and clinical history (75%). The most common physical features believed to be most consistent with INHI are dyspnea (87.5%) and hoarseness (87.5%). Common treatments include intubation (87.5%), routine ventilatory support (87.5%) and chest physiotherapy (75%). None of the centres used nebulized heparin. A total of five centres (62.5%) routinely changed the fluid resuscitation protocol when INHI was diagnosed. Only two centres (25%) routinely used prophylactic antibiotics for INHI.

CONCLUSION: Prospective, multicentre trials are needed to generate evidence-based consensus in the areas of diagnosis, grading and treatment for INHI in Canada.