British journal of hospital medicine
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Deaths from smoke inhalation remain depressingly frequent and most often occur because the victim cannot escape the toxic effects of carbon monoxide. Delayed sequelae of smoke inhalation greatly increase the mortality from cutaneous burns. This article outlines the supportive care of smoke casualties and discusses some of the dilemmas in management which result from the absence of specific therapies.
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Fulminant sepsis following splenectomy remains a major problem. Even with the administration of pneumococcal vaccine and prophylactic antibiotics fatalities still occur. A better understanding of the complex immunological function of the spleen, its preservation as much as possible during surgery, potent vaccine and perhaps more effective antibiotics will, hopefully, help reduce mortality in some of these cases in future.