Maasstad Hospital, Paediatrics, Maasstadweg 21, Rotterdam, 3079DZ, the Netherlands.
Br J Gen Pract. 2012 Jul;62(600):e473-7. doi: 10.3399/bjgp12X652337.
Steam inhalation therapy is often recommended in the treatment of a common cold. However, it has no proven benefit and may in fact have serious adverse side effects in terms of burn injuries.
To quantify the human and economic costs of steam inhalation therapy in terms of burn injury.
A prospective database study of all patients admitted to the burn centres (Beverwijk, Groningen, Rotterdam) and the hospital emergency departments in the Netherlands.
Number and extent of burn injuries as a result of steam inhalation therapy were analysed, as well as an approximation made of the direct costs for their medical treatment.
Annually, on average three people are admitted to in one of the Dutch burn centres for burns resulting from steam inhalation therapy. Most victims were children, and they needed skin grafting more often than adults. The total direct medical costs for burn centre and emergency department treatment were €115,500 (£93,000), emotional costs are not reflected.
As steam inhalation therapy has no proven benefit and the number and extent of complications of this therapy in terms of burn injury are significant, especially in children, steam inhalation therapy should be considered a dangerous procedure and not recommended anymore in professional guidelines and patient brochures.
蒸汽吸入疗法常被推荐用于治疗普通感冒。然而，它并没有被证实的益处，实际上可能会导致严重的不良副作用，如烧伤。
量化因蒸汽吸入疗法导致烧伤的人力和经济成本。
对荷兰所有烧伤中心（贝弗韦克、格罗宁根、鹿特丹）和医院急诊部收治的所有患者进行前瞻性数据库研究。
分析因蒸汽吸入疗法导致的烧伤人数和程度，并估算其医疗费用的直接成本。
平均每年有三人因蒸汽吸入疗法导致的烧伤被荷兰的一家烧伤中心收治。大多数受害者是儿童，他们比成年人更需要植皮。烧伤中心和急诊部治疗的总直接医疗费用为 115500 欧元（93000 英镑），未反映情感成本。
由于蒸汽吸入疗法没有被证实的益处，而且这种疗法在烧伤方面的并发症的数量和程度都很显著，尤其是在儿童中，因此蒸汽吸入疗法应被视为一种危险的程序，不应再在专业指南和患者手册中推荐。
