Clinical significance of monitoring blood carboxyhemoglobin.

Abstract

To explore the clinical significance of blood carboxyhemoglobin concentration (HbCO), we monitored the HbCO in 192 patients with acute carbon monoxide poisoning. The data were analyzed and then correlated with the degree of poisoning and the factors influencing the HbCO, i.e., time of sampling, oxygen therapy, CO concentration in air, body conditions, etc.; The analyzed data led the authors to conclude that: a) blood HbCO>10% has diagnostic significance and HbCO>30% should be considered serious: b) clinical manifestations should be primary and HbCO secondary when judging the degree of CO poisoning; c) after HbCO has returned to normal levels, energetic treatment should be continued when the clinical symptoms remain; d) HbCO sampling need not be continued when the patient has been away from the toxic environment for more than 8 h; and e) monitoring HbCO is useful in making a differential diagnosis and, in the event of death, to make a definitive diagnosis.