Carbon monoxide poisoning and hyperbaric oxygen therapy

• Published in: British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing) 1999-09, Vol.8 (16), p.1067-1072
• Main Authors: Durmaz, Emma, Laurence, Stephen, Roden, Paul, Carruthers, Steve
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon monoxide poisoning; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - diagnosis; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - epidemiology; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - etiology; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - therapy; Clinical; Glasgow Coma Scale; Humans; Hyperbaric oxygen therapy; Hyperbaric Oxygenation - methods; Hyperbaric Oxygenation - nursing; Time Factors; United Kingdom - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0966-0461; 2052-2819
• DOI: 10.12968/bjon.1999.8.16.6511

This article describes the treatment of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO). Carbon monoxide poisoning is the commonest cause of fatal poisoning in the UK. Despite this, HBO is an underused treatment modality. Current criteria for hyperbaric treatment include any patient with neurological deficit and any episode of depressed consciousness, cardiovascular disturbance, patients initially treated with surface oxygen and who developed recurrent symptomatology and minor symptoms unresponsive to oxygen. During a 5-year period 82 patients have been treated from a wide geographical area. Of these patients 57% suffered carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of self-poisoning. Other causes of poisoning were: house fire; faulty gas appliances; industrial furnaces; and petrol generators. Of the 82 patients treated, 13 required mechanical ventilation and full haemodynamic monitoring, while the remainder were able to walk in and a few patients received intravenous sedation. In recent years the trend has been to re-treat patients more than once in the first 24 hours to increase efficacy and hopefully decrease the serious sequelae that can occur following CO poisoning.