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Mystery surrounds steam eruption at U of U

Investigators looking for answers in Monday's dramatic steam eruption want to know why a valve that had been closed for 15 months suddenly opened.

SALT LAKE CITY -- When emergency personnel arrived at the construction site at the University of Utah Monday, they found workers who had suffered rare injuries. The victims inhaled burning steam, which came from super-heated water at 380 degrees.

Breathing it was life-threatening.

Niki Yeaton, clinical nurse coordinator at University Hospital, said, "What happens is they constrict the airway and then they can't breathe. They can't get oxygen. They can't ventilate. They'll die from asphyxia or just respiratory depression."

Medical teams have two choices -- insert an endotrachial tube which goes into the mouth and down through the larynx to the trachea, or surgically insert a tube in the trachea and create an airway.

"The thing about airway burns is that it can compromise the airway hours later. So, we have to watch these patients. Most of the patients that we saw (Monday) were admitted. Some of them were admitted just overnight to our emergency care unit, others were admitted to the burn unit in the medical ICU," Yeaton said.

Seven workers who were burned went to University Hospital. Two were treated and released. Five others remain hospitalized, one in critical condition. Doctors use steroids, oxygen and pain medication to treat the condition.

Yeaton said healing from this type of burn can take weeks, even months. The age of the patient and condition of his or her lungs can determine healing. If the person suffers from asthma or a pulmonary disease it will take much longer to recover and scarring may occur. With steam inhalation also comes the possibility of damage to mucous membranes.

A University Hospital spokeswoman says some of the workers received skin burns in addition to their inhalation burns.

E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com

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