Smoke inhalation injury.

Smoke inhalation injury is responsible for more deaths after fire than actual body burns. Many of the effects of heat and chemical burns to the airways are delayed and may not be clinically evident at first. Chest films are often not helpful, and direct laryngoscopic or bronchofibroscopic examination or a ventilation-perfusion scan may be necessary to verify the diagnosis. Treatment depends on the components involved, with chemically induced airway injury being the most complex to manage. Death rates remain high when inhalation injury is combined with severe body burns.