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A Case of Acute Lung Injury Caused by Tetrafluoroethylene Inhalation  

Lee, Su Ok (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Choi, Eun Jung (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Kim, Ka Young (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Kim, Jun Chul (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Park, Jung Chul (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Jung, Chi Young (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Kim, Yeon Jae (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Lee, Byung Ki (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital)
Publication Information
Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases / v.62, no.3, 2007 , pp. 223-226 More about this Journal
Abstract
Tetrafluoroethylene is a colorless gas that can be used to synthesize a variety of fluoride compounds by polymerization (e.g., Teflon). Fluoride compounds have many applications in industry. There are several reports of inhalation injury from the pyrolytic product of fluoride compounds. When the polymer is heated under the conditions of inadequate ventilation, the fumes can cause polymer fume fever or pulmonary edema which manifested as symptoms such as fever, chill, profuse sweating, cough and dyspnea. However there are no reports of a direct lung injury caused by tetrafluoroethylene. We report a case of a 27-year-old male presented with acute lung injury after inhaling concentrated tetrafluoroethylene. He complained of cough and dyspnea after the accidental inhalation of tetrfluoroethylene at his workplace. The symptoms improved without any complications after conservative treatment with oxygen and steroid.
Keywords
Tetrafluoroethylene; Lung injury; Pulmonary edema;
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