The dangers of using electronic cigarettes are well known when it comes to the potential for addiction and lung injury, but new research published in the Journal of Surgical Research finds another cause for concern when it comes to e-cigarettes: the potential for the vaping devices to explode during use.
The study, conducted by members of the Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium, found that between January 2016 and December 2019, 15 patients at nine children’s hospitals sustained traumatic injuries from e-cigarette explosions. Ten of those required hospital admission, three to intensive care units.
Among the Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium members who contributed to the research study was Shannon Acker, MD, assistant professor of pediatric surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a pediatric surgeon at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
We spoke with Acker about the study findings and what they mean for e-cigarette users and their parents.