Citation

Vahabzadeh M, Megarbane B. Basic Clin. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Nordic Pharmacological Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/bcpt.13760

PMID

35661589

Abstract

Butane, an aliphatic hydrocarbon with explosive and flammable properties, is widely misused especially by young people. Acting as an asphyxiant gas, butane mainly targets the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. We aimed to review butane-attributed toxicities due to its harmful use or misuse reported in a two-decade period. We searched English-language publications reporting butane toxicities from 2000 up to 2021 and collected data on age, gender, route and source of exposure, country of origin, clinical presentation, and outcome. Among fifty-four butane harmful use/misuse cases identified in the literature, there were eleven survivors successfully discharged from hospital. Patients were predominantly males with a mean age ± SD of 23 ± 13 years. The main route of exposure was inhalation. Manifestations were mainly cardiac and neurological. The majority of cases were reported from Europe and Japan. To conclude, butane exposure is at risk of severe central nervous system and cardiac toxicities, which may result in a fatal outcome. Therefore, in the event of sudden or suspicious death in a young individual, our findings suggest that butane harmful use/misuse should be considered as a potential differential diagnosis.

Language: en

Keywords

Death; Toxicity; Case report; Butane; Case series; Harmful use; Mini-review; Misuse; Poisoning, Inhalation