RECOGNITION AND TIMELY TREATMENT OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Sa？etak Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and extremely toxic gas, which is ubiquitous in our industrial society. Diagnosing CO poisoning relies on taking thorough history exploring the relationship of symptoms and signs of poisoning to environmental CO exposure. Venous or arterial blood gas analysis measurement of carboxyhemoglobin is required for de？ nitive diagnosis, and this is rarely available outside the hospital environment. New eight-wavelength pulse oximeters are designed to measure carboxyhemoglobin, in addition to the usual measurements of hemoglobin oxygen saturation. Essential treatment for CO poisoning is immediate delivery of high ？ ow normobaric oxygen through a non-rebreather mask with reservoir bag. However, still no consensus exists on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and reliable indicators for identifying patients who will bene？ t from such therapy with better outcomes and lower risk of delayed neurological sequels are also lacking