PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 13 A Rhode Island Hospital study of 21 survivors of The Station nightclub fire in 2003 found the most severely impacted were non-smokers.The findings may have useful implications for future victims of smoke inhalation as early treatment efforts could be tailored according to their cigarette smoking history, according to study leader Dr. Gerald Abbott, director of chest radiology at Rhode Island Hospital, in Providence.The study is the first to see the variability of the chronic impact of smoke inhalation between smokers and non-smokers, said Abbott.The researchers found a significant increase in air-trapping -- an abnormal retention of air in the lungs following expiration -- in the non-smokers."This research tells us that physicians treating patients for smoke inhalation should be aware that one of the chronic effects of smoke inhalation, air-trapping, seems to be more severe in non-smokers," Abbott said in a statement. The findings were presented at the Society of Thoracic Radiology in Las Vegas.Copyright 2007 by UPI
