Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move him or her to fresh air. Seek immediate medical help.
PREVENTION
Install a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your home. Place an additional detector near any major gas-burning appliances (such as a furnace or water heater).
Many carbon monoxide poisonings occur in the winter months when furnaces, gas fireplaces, and portable heaters are being used and windows are closed. Make sure you have any heaters and gas-burning appliances regularly inspected to make sure they are safe to use.
Before Calling Emergency
If possible, determine the following information:
- Patient's age, weight, and condition (for example, is the person awake or alert?)
- How long they may have been exposed to the carbon monoxide, if known
However, DO NOT delay calling for help if this information is not immediately available.
Poison Control, or a local emergency number
The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.
This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
See:
What to expect at the emergency room
The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy - Medicines to treat symptoms
- Oxygen
Expectations (prognosis)
Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause death. For those who survive, recovery is slow. How well a person does depends on the amount and length of exposure to the carbon monoxide. Permanent brain damage may occur.
If the patient still has impaired mental ability after 2 weeks, the chance of a complete recovery is not very good. Impaired mental ability can reappear within the first 1-2 weeks in those who have been symptom free for a short while.
Previous Section
Review Date: 02/02/2011
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St.
Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by
VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA,
Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
