Carbon monoxide poisoning

In CO poisoning, the blood stops carrying oxygen to transport this gas, preventing the passage of oxygen to tissues, and, therefore, the body starts to have less and less oxygen, leading to organ failure.

The most common sources of CO emissions that can cause such poisoning in the event of a leak are devices and household appliances that have been poorly installed or poorly maintained, blocked ventilation tubes, fires, vehicle engines and anything that burns coal or wood.

Symptoms that may appear include headache, nausea, vomiting, bad breath odor, weakness and even paralysis of the lower limbs, drowsiness, loss of vision and hearing, loss of reflexes and consciousness, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, pupil dilatation, labored breathing and skin with a bluish tinge.

Diagnosis is made by taking a targeted medical history, performing a full physical examination and additional tests (laboratory tests, electrocardiogram and imaging tests).

The essential treatment is the administration of oxygen at high concentrations with a mask and, in very severe cases, hyperbaric oxygen therapy will be used. The patient must remain under continuous hospital monitoring, in absolute rest and with temperature and symptoms monitoring.