ABSTRACT
Carbon monoxide intoxication is the most prevalent cause of death from carbon monoxide poisoning. We herein report the case of a 56-year-old man who was found unconscious and smelled of smoke after exposure to carbon monoxide from a heater. He scored 5 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, and had respiratory insufficiency and elevated troponin I, creatine kinase-MB fraction and carboxyhaemoglobin levels. He was treated by mechanical ventilation. After regaining consciousness, brain magnetic resonance imaging showed diffusion restriction in the left occipital lobe; there was a loss of vision (right temporal hemianopsia), which improved by the follow-up session. Carbon monoxide intoxication may cause neurologic and cardiac sequelae, and the initial treatment includes oxygen therapy. Acute carbon monoxide poisoning can cause serious injury to the brain, heart and other organs; the most severe damages that could be inflicted to the brain include cerebral ischaemia and hypoxia, oedema, and neural cell degeneration and necrosis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Brain , Brain Ischemia , Carbon Monoxide , Chemistry , Carbon Monoxide Poisoning , Carboxyhemoglobin , Chemistry , Creatine Kinase, MB Form , Blood , Diffusion , Glasgow Coma Scale , Hyperbaric Oxygenation , Hypoxia , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Myocardial Ischemia , Stroke , Troponin I , BloodABSTRACT
The frequency of hemolysis of blood samples may be increased by transport in a pneumatic tube system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pneumatic tube system transport on hemolysis of blood samples. Blood samples were transported from the emergency department to the hospital laboratory manually by hospital staff [49 patients] or with a pneumatic tube system [53 patients]. The hemolysis index and serum chemistry studies were performed on the blood samples and compared between the different methods of transport. The blood samples that were transported by the pneumatic tube system had a greater frequency of hemolysis and greater mean serum potassium and median creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels than samples transported manually. Blood samples transported from the emergency department to the hospital laboratory by a pneumatic tube system may have a greater frequency of hemolysis than samples transported manually. This may necessitate repeat phlebotomy and cause a delay in completing the laboratory analysis