Vitamin C and smoke inhalation injury.

A second potential therapeutic option for the parenchymal damage caused by inhalation injury is systemic administration of intravenous agents. The unique nature of the effects of the burn and smoke on lung physiology and immunology create new opportunities for systemic treatments targeting specific aspects of the response to injury. In addition, systemic therapies could be either isolated or combined with inhalation therapies to achieve optimal clinical response. The two articles in this section of the compendium address different, yet promising, systemic therapies: antithrombin and vitamin C.