• Serhat Koyuncu, Oguzhan Bol, Tamer Ertan, Nurullah Günay, and Halil İbrahim Akdogan.
• Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Medicine of Faculty, Emergency Medicine Department, Tokat, Turkey. Electronic address: dr_serhats@hotmail.com.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2020 Jun 1; 38 (6): 1110-1114.

ObjectivesCarbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the world. Our primary objective was to identify and treat individuals who are unaware of their exposure to carbon monoxide in emergency departments (EDs). Our secondary goal was to reduce the costs of diagnosis and treatment by preventing unnecessary diagnostic testing in EDs.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels of patients presented with the signs of CO poisoning to the Emergency Department of Kayseri Training and Research Hospital between November 2012 and May 2013 were noninvasively measured during triage. Patients with elevated COHb levels were suspected of CO poisoning and subjected to further investigation.ResultsA total of 4073 patients were enrolled in the study, and 106 (2.6%) of them were diagnosed with CO poisoning. Initial evaluation revealed headache to be the most common presenting complaint in patients with occult CO poisoning. Further evaluations to determine the accuracy of noninvasive measurements showed that noninvasive pulse CO-oxymeter and arterial blood gas (ABG) measurement were compatible.ConclusionsThe use of noninvasive pulse CO-oxymeter might reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with occult CO poisoning in patients presented with suspected CO poisoning in emergency settings.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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