A Case of Acute Lung Injury Caused by Tetrafluoroethylene Inhalation.

Lee, Su Ok; Choi, Eun Jung; Kim, Ka Young; Kim, Jun Chul; Park, Jung Chul; Jung, Chi Young; Kim, Yeon Jae; Lee, Byung Ki

doi:2007.62.3.223

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 62(3); 2007 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2007;62(3):223-226.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2007.62.3.223 Published online March 1, 2007.

A Case of Acute Lung Injury Caused by Tetrafluoroethylene Inhalation.

Su Ok Lee, Eun Jung Choi, Ka Young Kim, Jun Chul Kim, Jung Chul Park, Chi Young Jung, Yeon Jae Kim, Byung Ki Lee

Department of Internal Medicine, Fatima Hospital, Daegu, Korea. leebk1@fatima.or.kr

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.

Key Words: Tetrafluoroethylene, Lung injury, Pulmonary edema