Carbon monoxide poisoning: early awareness and intervention can save lives. About one third of severe poisonings are fatal. Clinical practice guidelines: toxicology and toxinology/carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, tasteless, odourless, non-irritating gas produced as a by-product during incomplete combustion of fuels due to there being insufficient oxygen present. Carbon monoxide: health effects, incident management and toxicology. May 2022. People who are most at risk of adverse outcomes after carbon monoxide poisoning are those with coronary heart disease, vascular disease, asthma, or anaemia pregnant women and their fetuses children and older people. They are mostly non-specific, and vary from headache, nausea, and dizziness to severe cardiovascular and neurological symptoms. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be acute or chronic, depending on dose and duration of the exposure. The increased affinity of carbon monoxide with haemoglobin results in tissue hypoxia and impairment of cellular respiration, and direct effects of carbon monoxide toxicity at the cellular level. DefinitionĬarbon monoxide poisoning can occur following exposure to a variety of sources. The most common symptoms associated with CO poisoning include dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness, altered mental status, and chest pain. Hypoxia is a deficiency of oxygen at the tissue level. Consult senior colleagues when deciding whether to refer a patient for hyperbaric oxygen treatment.Ĭomplications of hyperbaric treatment include seizures related to oxygen toxicity, barotraumas, and pulmonary oedema. The best established and most important toxic action of carbon monoxide is incapacitation of the cell’s mechanism for using oxygen resulting in chemical asphyxiation and hypoxia (e.g., effective oxygen deprivation). High-flow oxygen therapy and supportive therapy are the key treatments for carbon monoxide poisoning. Use a blood gas analysis to confirm the diagnosis based on the carboxyhaemoglobin level. Make a clinical diagnosis based on the history and symptoms. Neurological symptoms include acute stroke-like symptoms, altered mental status, confusion, coma, and syncope. ![]() ![]() Increasing exposure results in cardiovascular effects such as myocardial ischaemia, infarction, dysrhythmias, and cardiac arrest. Poisoning can occur following exposure from fire or non-fire sources.Įarly symptoms are non-specific and include headache, dizziness, and nausea. Approximately one third of severe poisonings are fatal.Ĭarbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause hypoxia, cell damage, and death.
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