Hydrocarbon pneumonia

Definition

Hydrocarbon pneumonia is caused by drinking or breathing in gasoline, kerosene, furniture polish, paint thinner, or other oily materials or solvents. Many of these hydrocarbons are thin liquids. If you drank one of these hydrocarbons, it is likely some will slip down your windpipe and into your lungs (aspiration) rather than going down your food pipe (esophagus) and into your stomach. This can easily happen if you try to siphon gas out of a gas tank with a hose and your mouth.

Hydrocarbons may be inhaled intentionally for intoxication, especially by adolescents. This is referred to as “huffing.”

These products cause fairly rapid changes in the lungs, including inflammation, swelling, and bleeding.

Alternative Names

Pneumonia - hydrocarbon

Symptoms

Symptoms may include any of the following:

Exams and Tests

At the emergency room, the health care provider will check vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

The following tests and interventions (actions taken for improvement) may be done in the emergency department:

Treatment

Those with mild symptoms should be evaluated by doctors in an emergency room, but may not require a hospital stay. The minimum observation period after inhalation of a hydrocarbon is 6 hours.

People with moderate and severe symptoms are usually admitted to the hospital, occasionally to an intensive care unit (ICU).

Hospital treatment will likely include continuing some or all of the interventions started in the emergency department.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Most children who drink or inhale hydrocarbon products and develop chemical pneumonitis (lung inflammation without infection) recover fully following treatment. Highly toxic hydrocarbons may rapidly cause respiratory failure and death. Repeated ingestions or inhalations may lead to permanent brain damage (including memory, attention and judgment deficits, chronic confusion, dementia and psychiatric problems), liver damage, and other organ damage.

Possible Complications

Complications may include any of the following:

When to Contact a Medical Professional

If you know or suspect that your child has swallowed or inhaled a hydrocarbon product, take them to the emergency room immediately. DO NOT use ipecac to make the person throw up.

Prevention

If you have young children, be sure to identify and carefully store materials containing hydrocarbons.

References

Kuschner WG, Blanc PD. Acute responses to toxic exposures. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 103.

Wang GS, Buchanan JA. Hydrocarbons. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 147.



Review Date: 1/2/2023
Reviewed By: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
© 1997- adam.comAll rights reserved.