Inhaling heated gases can cause _____ which can lead to death:

• A. anemia
• B. hypotension
• C. tracheal shift
• D. pulmonary edema

Answer: (D)

Inhalation injury from heated gases damages the airway and lung tissue, triggering inflammation and increased vascular permeability that cause fluid to leak into the lungs. This fluid buildup, or pulmonary edema, impairs gas exchange and can progress to respiratory failure and death. The other options don’t fit this scenario: anemia is a lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin, which isn’t caused by inhaling hot gases; hypotension isn’t a direct, typical consequence of airway/lung burns; and a tracheal shift is a structural displacement usually due to trauma, not inhalation injury. So the problem most directly leads to fluid in the lungs that can be fatal.