Traditional and New Treatments for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Oxygen therapy is the main treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.
This starves your body of oxygen.
It doesn’t take much carbon monoxidein the air you breatheto getcarbon monoxide poisoning.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
However, it takes a lot of oxygen to get rid of it.
This article discusses the emergency treatment needed for carbon monoxide poisoning.
This includes first aid steps, oxygen therapy at the hospital, and other treatment for complications.
Verywell / Alex Dos Diaz
First Aid Treatment
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a life-threatening emergency.
If you suspect that someone hassigns of carbon monoxide poisoning, get them outside into fresh air immediately.
Call 911 or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
If the person is unresponsive and isn’t breathing,start CPRright away.
Continue until they breathe on their own, someone else can take over CPR, or paramedics arrive.
If you’re alone with the person, do CPR for two minutes and then call 911.
Always call 911 without delay if you suspect you or someone else has carbon monoxide poisoning.
This is a face mask with a plastic bag hanging off it connected to a supply of high-concentration oxygen.
A one-way valve keeps the air you exhale out of the bag.
Oxygen therapy allows your body to get rid of carbon monoxide faster than just breathing the air around you.
Half-life is a measurement of the time it takes to eliminate half of a substance in the body.
For complete elimination of the carbon monoxide, it would take 370 minutes about six hours.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Another option is to administer oxygen under pressure in ahyperbaricchamber.
In a hyperbaric chamber, oxygen therapy can reduce the elimination half-life of carbon monoxide to about 20 minutes.
Verywell / Alex Dos Diaz
Unfortunately, hyperbaric chambers are not always readily available, especially in rural areas.
There is clear evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy clears carbon monoxide from the blood faster.
However, evidence is conflicting on whether patients are better off because of it.
Another review of studies showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could be more effective than traditional oxygen therapy.
It had greater advantages for those with life-threatening carbon monoxide levels or with neurological symptoms.
The heart is sensitive to a lack of oxygen.
This adds to the potential need for cardiac intervention.
Summary
Oxygen therapy is a life-saving treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.
That’s because carbon monoxide gets in your blood and starves your body of oxygen.
To get rid of it, you’ll need to receive a high concentration of oxygen.
For signs or symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, call 911 immediately.
Get outside in the fresh air to get away from the source of carbon monoxide.
Start CPR if you’re with someone who isn’t breathing.
At the hospital, you’ll likely receive a high concentration of oxygen through a non-rebreather mask.
Hyperbaric chambers can administer oxygen at higher levels of pressure.
A Word From Verywell
With carbon monoxide poisoning, getting emergency care is essential.
Healthcare providers can confirm you get a high concentration of oxygen to rid your blood of any carbon monoxide.
Getting this oxygen quickly can help prevent permanent damage or even death.
This helps to force the CO out so it can be replaced with oxygen.
No, but it can cause permanent damage if it isn’t detected and treated promptly.
When carbon monoxide attaches to hemoglobin, it’s called carboxyhemoglobin (COHb).
Blood levels of COHb that reach 60% or more can bring on death quickly.
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