1. What is carbon monoxide poisoning?

Carbon monoxide poisoning refers to the product of incomplete combustion of nitrogen-containing substances, inhaled into the body through the respiratory tract to cause poisoning, the mechanism of poisoning is mainly the affinity of carbon monoxide and hemoglobin, which is 200~300 times higher than the affinity of oxygen and hemoglobin, carbon monoxide is easy to combine with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin, so that hemoglobin loses its oxygen-carrying capacity, causing tissue suffocation, and has a toxic effect on the tissues of the whole body, especially the most serious impact on the cerebral cortex.

2. How does carbon monoxide poisoning work?

Carbon monoxide poisoning is more common in cold weather, and it is also relatively common in the "return to the south" in southern China. The occurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, when the coal stove is heating at home, the coal combustion is not sufficient, and the second is that if the combustion is insufficient, coupled with the blockage of the coal stove pipeline, or the wind backs up, and then the human body inhales carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide poisoning will occur. Carbon monoxide enters the body and can bind to hemoglobin, which is far more than hemoglobin can bind to oxygen. After carbon monoxide is combined with hemoglobin, it is called carboxyhemoglobin, which does not have the ability to carry oxygen, that is, the blood is full of carboxyhemoglobin, which will lead to hypoxia, lungs, brain, and heart, all of which will have hypoxia symptoms, and produce symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

3. What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, and it is difficult to determine when poisoning began. The severity of carbon monoxide poisoning is related to indoor carbon monoxide concentrations and is also related to age, with young people being more sensitive than older people, pregnant women, obese people, and people with chronic cardiopulmonary diseases. The main manifestations of carbon monoxide poisoning are dizziness, headache, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, etc., and with the deepening of the degree of poisoning, unconsciousness, convulsions, coma, and severe cases can lead to death.

4. What are the stages of carbon monoxide poisoning?

There are three main stages of carbon monoxide poisoning: mild, moderate, and severe. Patients with mild poisoning may experience symptoms such as headache, dizziness, palpitation, nausea, vomiting, and weakness of the limbs. Patients at this stage generally have rapid relief from symptoms if they can leave the toxic environment in time and breathe in fresh air.

Patients with moderate poisoning may experience symptoms such as flushing, cherry-red lips, excessive sweating, irritability, and gradual coma. At this stage, the patient may be confused, but if they are treated promptly, they are still more likely to recover.

Patients with severe poisoning may experience symptoms such as deep coma, loss of various reflexes, incontinence, cold extremities, drop in blood pressure, and shortness of breath. Patients at this stage are critically ill and may develop symptoms such as cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, shock, myocardial damage, arrhythmias, and respiratory depression, with a very high mortality rate. Even if they survive, they may be left with serious sequelae, such as dementia, paralysis, mental abnormalities, etc.

5. What are the serious after-effects of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Carbon monoxide poisoning late-onset encephalopathy is a serious neurological complication that usually develops quietly within days to months after acute carbon monoxide poisoning. This condition poses a great threat to the quality of life and health of patients. The symptoms of late-onset encephalopathy are varied, and may manifest as psychiatric symptoms such as personality changes, disorientation, and cognitive impairment, and patients may experience memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and confusion. In addition, extrapyramidal symptoms such as parkin's paralysis are common, and patients may present with limb tremors and increased muscle tone. These symptoms may interfere with the patient's ability to perform daily life and work, and in severe cases, may even cause the patient to lose the ability to take care of themselves.

6. How to deal with carbon monoxide poisoning?

The treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning mainly includes the following aspects:

(1) Terminate carbon monoxide inhalation: First, open doors and windows for ventilation in time, and quickly transfer the patient to a place with fresh air and circulation to stop the continued inhalation of carbon monoxide. At the same time, let the patient rest in bed, pay attention to keeping warm, and keep the airway open.

(2) Oxygen therapy: It is a very important step to give the patient oxygen therapy, which can be inhaled through a nasal cannula or mask. If available, hyperbaric chamber therapy may also be used to increase overall oxygen levels, promote oxygen release, and accelerate carbon monoxide excretion.

(3) Keep the respiratory tract unobstructed: patients with vomiting should pay attention to removing abnormal secretions from the mouth and nose. In severely ill patients, endotracheal intubation or organotomy may be required to keep the airway open.

(4) Call the 120 emergency center in time and send the doctor to the hospital for follow-up comprehensive treatment, including drug treatment to prevent cerebral edema, control convulsions, etc., to prevent irreversible damage.

(5) Physiotherapy: Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy is an important means of physiotherapy, which can increase the partial pressure of oxygen, increase physical dissolved oxygen, improve the overall oxygen content, promote oxygen release and accelerate carbon monoxide excretion. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is recommended for moderate and higher carbon monoxide poisoning.

7. How can carbon monoxide poisoning be prevented?

In the case of urban living, the kitchen and bathroom need to have good ventilation conditions to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning caused by carbon monoxide accumulation leakage from gas stoves; Do not install gas water heaters in the shower room, the shower space is generally small, the ventilation is poor, the air flow is poor, and the installation and use of gas water heaters in the shower room is easy to leak, accumulate and poison carbon monoxide, therefore, it is recommended to install the gas water heater in a location with good ventilation conditions to avoid the occurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning. In the case of rural living, it is recommended not to burn charcoal indoors for heating when it is cold in winter, in this case, the carbon monoxide gas produced by incomplete combustion of coal is easy to reach the poisoning concentration and lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, if the weather is really cold, and there are no other heating conditions, it is indeed necessary to burn charcoal for heating, it is recommended to do a good job of indoor ventilation and smoke exhaust equipment such as chimneys, etc., and avoid closed doors and windows, which can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning caused by indoor carbon monoxide accumulation. Or it is recommended to purchase the following carbon monoxide detector, in the event of carbon monoxide leakage, the instrument can sound the alarm in time, which can better prevent carbon monoxide poisoning at home, outdoors and in the workplace.