Carbon monoxide poisoning definition - medical term
Poisoning with carbon monoxide, a tasteless
odorless gas that is a byproduct of combustion. Carbon monoxide acts as a poison
by competing with oxygen for binding sites on hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood
cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the more remote tissues of the body
and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. On inhalation, carbon
monoxide binds to hemoglobin with a binding affinity 200--270 times greater than
that of oxygen.
C arbon monoxide poisoning may be more common than is currently recognized. It
is conservatively estimated that in the US there are at least 200 deaths per year
from carbon monoxide poisoning. The tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis died when his Long
Island cottage was filled with carbon monoxide from a swimming pool heater in 1994.
In 2000 a man who disconnected his household carbon monoxide detector because it
kept going off for no apparent reason came home to find six people -- including
three family members -- dead of fumes from the furnace.
Patients may have symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning but be unaware of the
basis of their symptoms. The early symptoms are quite nonspecific. They can resemble
the symptoms of motion sickness or heat exhaustion and include prolonged headache,
nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. At higher concentrations of carbon monoxide in
the blood, the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning can include seizures, coma, and
death. These can occur after just minutes of even outdoor exposure to exhaust.
The first aid treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning is to move the victim to
fresh air away from the source of carbon monoxide AND summon emergency medical service.
The medical treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning is oxygen, usually with a facemask.
The carbon monoxide levels in the blood are checked until they are low enough for
safety. For severe carbon monoxide poisoning, a pressure chamber may be used to
achieve higher doses of oxygen.
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