It’s unclear exactly what the patients — many of whom are young adults — had been inhaling or what type of devices they were using.
Almost two dozen people in the Midwest have been hospitalized with severe breathing difficulties linked to vaping, and doctors aren’t sure why.
It’s unclear exactly what the patients — many of whom are young adults — had been inhaling or what type of devices they were using. Nor do doctors know where they had purchased the devices or e-liquids.
Some patients said they’d used e-cigarette devices to inhale both nicotine and THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
“We know there are certain characteristics in common with these cases, but we have not been able to get to the bottom of exactly what aspect of the vaping habit or product or solvent or oil is causing the injury,” said Dr. Emily Chapman, chief medical officer for Children’s Minnesota, a pediatric health system headquartered in Minneapolis.
Four of the cases have been reported in Minnesota, along with 12 in Wisconsin and six in Illinois.
Chapman said that the four teens admitted to Children’s Minnesota all arrived with what doctors originally thought was a bad respiratory infection, like pneumonia.
But instead of getting better with treatment, they got worse.
“They have progressed to have significant difficulty with their breathing and increasing lung distress,” Chapman said. “They’ve ended up needing our intensive care unit and in some cases assistance with their breathing.”
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