NEUROBEHAVIOURAL OUTCOMES AND INCIDENCE OF TRAUMA FOLLOWING DOMESTIC FIRES

摘要

Neurobehavioural research on survivors of domestic fire has mainly focused on the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning after survivors have been admitted for hospital treatment. However, many survivors of domestic fires refuse to attend hospitals, even though they potentially could be harbouring neurobehavioural effects of CO through the medium of smoke inhalation. Only a few studies worldwide have conducted research into the impact that domestic fires have on individuals involved. The first objective of this paper is to present the preliminary findings of a study to determine the neurobehavioural effects of inhaling smoke in domestic fire incidents. The second objective is to provide an indication of the proportion of survivors who experience trauma that is related to the involvement in afire incident. Through collaboration with the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade (NIFB), smoke inhalation survivors of domestic fires were identified for the year 2003. Those who consented to participate in the research were assessed, examining major areas of cognitive performance including memory, attention and as well as trauma. Preliminary results indicated that visuospatial / constructional abilities were significantly poorer in comparison to a control group, even when controlling for premorbid intelligence. Results also indicated that even in the absence of serious physical injury, or involvement in a fire that had not lead to the loss of life, 60% of domestic fire survivors were found to experience mild to severe post-traumatic phenomena. In addition, 40% were found to be displaying moderate to severe post-fire trauma up to 1.5 years post fire incident. In conclusion, domestic fires for survivors do not stop when the fire is out and the smoke has dissipated. Smoke inhalation survivors can be potentially be left with subtle neurobehavioural and traumatic issues to manage long after the fire has been extinguished.