Vape as a trigger: why a 19-year-old boy from Transbaikalia could not survive metastases in the brain

Oncologist profile dispensary confirmed that before a sharp deterioration, the young man smoked fruit disposable vapes. What could cause fatal respiratory failure, "MK" told the neurologist of the Treatment and rehabilitation center of the Ministry of health of Russia Nikita Baranov.

- Can respiratory failure develop due to metastases in the brain?

- Yes, maybe under the condition of a large amount of education, which will compress the brain, in particular the brain stem, where the respiratory center is located, and breathing disorders may develop up to respiratory arrest. Or, for example, when metastasizing to the area of the brain stem, where the respiratory center is located.

- Can respiratory failure occur due to vaping?

- Yes, smoking vapes can cause both acute and chronic respiratory failure. This syndrome is called EVALI - lung damage associated with smoking electronic cigarettes and vapes. Accompanied by edema, inflammation of the alveoli, as a consequence - oxygen is not absorbed, there is a fall in saturation and respiratory failure until resuscitation and connection to the ventilator. Therefore, in general – since we do not know the history of smoking a patient – this condition may be a consequence of the progression of chronic respiratory failure, and in general may occur acutely after several days of vaping.

- Could vape smoking due to already existing brain problems – for example, if metastases affected the respiratory center or caused swelling – lead to decompensation and a sharp deterioration of the condition?

- Here we return to the fact that we do not know the history. If the patient already had chronic respiratory failure, then vaping could be a trigger that accelerated decompensation. But it is impossible to say for sure that it was the vape that caused it - survey data and anamnesis are needed.

- What can we say in the end on this occasion?

- Judging by media reports, the young man already had advanced oncology with metastases to the brain. Vape probably was not the cause of death, but the trigger that provoked an acute deterioration against the background of an already existing disease. An accurate answer can only give an analysis of all circumstances - anamnesis, examinations and conclusions of specialists.

“Vapas, like regular cigarettes, can cause respiratory failure if you already have lung problems. By themselves, they can, of course, cause an acute disease, but in extremely rare cases: with allergies or when smoking counterfeit liquids, Yakov Suchkov, a therapist at the Medical and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of Russia, adds.

That is, the vape itself rarely becomes the root cause of severe acute condition in a healthy person. But it works as a powerful trigger for those who already have a vulnerability. We cannot say that vapes kill everyone in a row, but we should not ignore their negative role, especially against the background of the already existing pathology.