Carbon monoxide treatment for poisoning
while high levels are in the body/blood stream
Rapid carbon monoxide treatment for poisoning can significantly reduce the risk of damage and
ongoing effects.
The goal of treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning is to remove carbon monoxide from the hemoglobin
(Hb) in the blood and return the level of oxygen in the blood back to normal as quickly as possible.
For immediate treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning, get lots of fresh air. Make sure to get out of the
building, vehicle, or area where the carbon monoxide is present or suspected.
Medical treatment usually includes oxygen therapy to treat severe symptoms and to lower carbon monoxide levels
in the blood as quickly as possible. It is wise to give oxygen therapy even if poisoning is suspected but not yet
confirmed by testing.
Hospitals will usually give oxygen therapy for carbon monoxide poisoning - the most common oxygen therapy
involves breathing oxygen through a tight-fitting mask. Fluids and electrolytes may be given to correct imbalances
from the breakdown of cellular metabolism.
For severe cases of carbon monoxide poisoning where a person is having difficulty breathing on their own, a
breathing machine may be used.
In more serious cases and where available, a person may be given hyperbaric oxygen therapy. During this
treatment, the survivor is put into a full-body chamber that uses oxygen under pressure to remove the carbon
monoxide faster and restore the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood to normal. The increased pressure of the
chamber forces more oxygen into the blood.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is
used to treat more serious cases of carbon monoxide poisoning including people who are or have been unconscious,
people with severe symptoms, and pregnant women. Hyperbaric therapy requires special equipment and is usually only
available in larger cities.
Infants, small children, older adults, people with health problems are more severely affected by carbon monoxide
in the blood stream. There are other factors that increase the risk of ongoing
effects.
If properly diagnosed and carbon monoxide treatment is quick, it is thought that most people have a good
likelihood of full recovery without ongoing effects. However, carbon monoxide poisoning statistics are questionable.
People respond differently to the same level of carbon monoxide exposure. Because of this, the after effects
from CO poisoning can range from nothing all the way to severe in different people with the same level of
exposure.
A person with a relatively low level of exposure could experience long term effects and someone with an extreme
level of exposure may have a full recovery. There is no certain way to predict
the outcome.
Proper immediate carbon monoxide treatment for poisoning [significantly] lowers the likelihood of
ongoing problems but cannot guarantee there will be no additional symptoms or short term effects or long term effects caused by damage.
Medical professionals can learn more about carbon monoxide treatment here.
*** Pregnant woman only: oxygen therapy treatment must be continued for an extended period of time as carbon
monoxide remains in the blood of the fetus even after it has returned to normal levels in the mother's blood (another good reason for pregnant
women to not smoke).
Return to Carbon monoxide poisoning treatment
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treatment for poisoning while high levels are in the body/blood stream
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between hemoglobin levels, symptoms, and damage.
Since I\'m 67, have a heart condition, asthma, and have had 3 brain surgeries, I hope I was just very lucky and have no additional problems. I was also very stupid, not having installed a CO detector. (I do have one in my home in UT.)
CO detectors should be mandatory in all buildings especially in public places.
My sister told recently of several people visiting a restaurant in her area that were rushed to the hospital from Co poisoning. The source was from the adjacent building. I would guess that a qualified lawyer could find the restaurant negligent as well. Where was the CO detetection device needed to protect the restaurants patrons? There should have been several.
And, as in my case, I believe that cars should also have detection devices. I would guess that there are more people just like me who have suffered from the effects of an improperly installed engine, or from emissions getting into the interior from a crack or hole in the vehicle floor.
Quite simply, any inhabited area where combustion takes place should, by law, have a CO detector to protect people from the potetially lethal effects of a possible leak. It is especially important with the dearth of information guiding the medical community which has been the horror for most of us here!
I spent years going to the doctor with a long list of health problems that perfectly match low level co-poisoning and got nowhere. The problem is also the building code. CO detectors should be mandatory in all buildings.
When my parents arrived and stepped in, they told the doctors to do "drug test". Things changed real fast when they realized I had not taken anythng and it was carbon monoxide poisoning.