The Hurricane Lung: A Case of Hydrocarbon Pneumonitis With Abscess Formation Following Fuel Siphoning

Fuel siphoning is a widespread practice worldwide, but infrequently observed in the United States. Some reports suggest greater incidence of fuel siphoning during the hurricane season. Fuel siphoning is associated with a high risk of hydrocarbon toxicity, often leading to the development of hydrocar...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 13; no. 5; p. e14807
Main Authors Reddy, Renuka, Baek, Jessica, Perone, Hanna R, Chen, Kai, Lichtstein, Daniel M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus 02.05.2021
Subjects
Epidemiology/Public Health
Infectious Disease
Pulmonology
fuel siphoning
hurricane
hydrocarbon pneumonitis
gasoline
abscess
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Fuel siphoning is a widespread practice worldwide, but infrequently observed in the United States. Some reports suggest greater incidence of fuel siphoning during the hurricane season. Fuel siphoning is associated with a high risk of hydrocarbon toxicity, often leading to the development of hydrocarbon pneumonitis. This form of exogenous lipoid pneumonia can present acutely with chest pain and dyspnea. While most cases of hydrocarbon pneumonitis resolve spontaneously with supportive care, rarely patients develop life-threatening complications. We present the case of a 56-year-old man who developed hydrocarbon pneumonitis complicated by abscess formation after attempting to siphon fuel from a gasoline tank in preparation for a hurricane.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.14807