Injury from E-Cigarette Explosion
A 17-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with pain and swelling in his jaw 2 hours after an e-cigarette exploded during use. The patient was in a hemodynamically stable condition and had no respiratory distress.
He had a circular puncture to the chin, extensive lacerations in his mouth, multiple disrupted lower incisors, and bony incongruity of the left mandible. Reconstructed computed tomography of the head revealed a comminuted and displaced mandibular fracture with disruption of the left central and lateral incisors (Panel A). The patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation of the fracture, dental extraction, and débridement of devitalized tissue. The increasing prevalence of vaping among adolescents is a public health concern. At the 6-week follow-up assessment, the patient had recovered well, and the mandibular–maxillary fixation was removed (Panel B).