Unseen Menace:  Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Treatments for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning causes brain lipid peroxidation as well as an hypoxic injury. Traditional therapy has been 1 ATA oxygen but now includes hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) which hastens dissociation of COHgb, reverses anoxia, inhibits reperfusion injury, and has toxic effects. All of these are dose dependant and time sensitive. The human experience with HBOT is anecdotal cases, uncontrolled and controlled series, which are largely positive, and randomized, prospective e controlled studies with conflicting results. A controversy exists over the pressure and number of HBOTs.

PG Harch, KW Van Meter, SF Gottlieb, P Staab. JoEllen Smith Hyperbaric Medicine Unit, New Orleans, LA 70131

Background: Brain CT and MRI are poor barometers of acute CI poisoning and the DNSS syndrome, registering abnormalities in a minority of patients. HMPAO SPECT, a flow metabolism modality, seems more appropriate. We report 12 cases of acute poisoning and DNSS imaged with HMPAO SPECT/

Paul G. Harch, Keith Van Meter, Paul K Staab, Sheldon F. Gottlieb, Jo Ellen Smith Medical Center, New Or,sans, LA.
Introduction:

There is no accepted treatment for neurological residual of carbon monoxide poisoning; this report documents the effect of HBOT for established neurological residual.

Methods: