I would imagine it depends on the temperature, like decarboxylating cannabis in the sense that a certain temperature range helps whereas past that point heat destroys the medicine. What I have seen so far is the suggestion to use warm or hot but not boiling temperatures. I’d have to search for one controlled study in particular to see what temperature those researchers used.
Since cannabinoids are oils and kavalactones are also a type of fat, it is conceivable that perhaps it may be possible to vaporize kavalactones. On the other hand, what agrees with the stomach (at least relatively) does not necessarily agree with the lungs. One example is the buttery flavor in some e-cigarettes. Although not health food, this flavoring seems ok when eaten but there are major health problems involved with inhaling it.
I’m sure that drinking kava is the safest thing to do but perhaps a vaporizer or a sublingual spray or something of that nature may be helpful for those having acute panic attacks.