On December 9, Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital, announced that the center recently admitted a male patient transferred from a lower-level hospital. The patient was in critical condition, requiring mechanical ventilation and sedative anesthesia.

Doctors diagnosed the patient with acute poisoning after using an e-cigarette. The disease progressed rapidly; just over one day after being weaned off the ventilator and regaining consciousness, the patient immediately faced severe kidney failure.

E-cigarette devices brought by poisoned patients to the Poison Control Center. *Photo: Nhu Loan*

Three days after emergency treatment, the young man could communicate, but his kidney function remained severely damaged. He also experienced mental health issues such as anxiety, high stress, and memory loss. As the patient did not bring the device he used, doctors could not identify the specific type of toxic substance.

"Previously, most e-cigarette poisoning patients only suffered brain damage, but recently, we have observed many cases with severe kidney failure complications", Doctor Nguyen stated.

Currently, there is no specific antidote for the synthetic chemicals mixed into e-cigarettes. Treatment protocols primarily focus on respiratory and circulatory support, non-specific detoxification, and metabolic disorder correction. Many patients suffer persistent sequelae after discharge, including memory loss, lack of concentration, and behavioral disorders due to brain damage.

According to Doctor Nguyen, e-cigarettes (vape) are a serious health threat as the number of poisoning cases, lung injuries, and related complications continues to rise. Most dangerously, vape has been repurposed as a vehicle for introducing synthetic drugs into the body. Recent tests have detected many dangerous banned substances in vape liquids, such as: Mdmb-butinaca, Adb-butinaca, synthetic cannabis, and new-generation psychoactive substances.

These products contain thousands of toxic chemicals and high concentrations of nicotine (often in salt form to reduce irritation), leading users to easily inhale large amounts without realizing the danger. The harms of vape now far exceed traditional cigarettes, not only causing cancer and cardiovascular damage to smokers but also severe pneumonia for those exposed to passive smoke, especially children and pregnant women.

Le Nga