Azeem Ahmed, MD, medical director of University of Iowa AirCare air ambulance service, talks about carbon monoxide poisoning, how it is treated, and how to prevent it:
Specifically, what causes carbon monoxide poisoning?
Carbon monoxide is formed by hydrocarbon combustion, so it is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, and non-irritating gas. Leaking of this gas can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, which accounts for about 40,000 E.R. visits per year and leads to about 5,000 to 6,000 deaths per year.
How quickly can poisoning occur?
The really severe poisonings can occur as quickly as 20 to 30 minutes, but some poisonings which are not as severe can take several hours.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are highly variable. They are often nonspecific, such as headache, weakness, nausea, dizziness; but they can be much worse, such as confusion, seizures, chest pain, shortness of breath, coma, or even death.
Do people suffering the affects of carbon monoxide poisoning sometimes not recognize their own symptoms?
They do. A lot of the symptoms I described earlier can be confused with flu-like illness, other viral illnesses, or some type of gastrointestinal illnesses. So since the symptoms can be highly nonspecific, people often confuse them for other illnesses and may not consider carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of their sickness.
Longstanding
How is carbon monoxide poisoning treated?
The mainstay of carbon monoxide poisoning is oxygen therapy.
How does the hyperbaric chamber work to treat the poisoning?
The hyperbaric chamber provides 100 percent oxygen under super atmospheric conditions. So it is oxygen under pressure which helps drive the carbon monoxide out of the patient’s body. It is shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy substantially reduces the time needed to eliminate the carbon monoxide from a patient’s body as opposed to oxygen being delivered at normal atmospheric conditions.
How important is it to get treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning quickly?
It is very important, like I said, the minor symptoms may not be as problematic, but carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to, like I said, heart attacks, seizures, permanent neurological impairment, coma, or death.
Are there long-term affects of carbon monoxide poisoning? What are they?
Yes, there can be long-term effects of severe poisonings. It has been shown in up to 40 percent of people with significant carbon monoxide poisoning, they can have long-term neurological problems which include cognitive deficits, personality changes, and even movement disorders.
What is the safest thing we can do to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning?
The things that can be done to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning are one, to install carbon monoxide detectors in your home. They’re a fairly cheap and effective way to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Also, avoid running cars in close spaces, avoid using ovens or other non-approved devices for heating, and get your furnace checked out by professional technicians to ensure that it’s functioning properly. |
