Emergency care for many people in coma due to CO poisoning

On August 16, the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital informed that the center's doctors had just received emergency treatment for 5 cases hospitalized in a state of vomiting, coma, and respiratory failure due to CO (Carbon monoxide) poisoning.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, of these 5 cases, 3 were poisoned from the kitchen in a house in Hanoi and 2 mothers and children in Nghe An were poisoned from using a generator in a closed room. Notably, the 2 mothers and children in Nghe An were hospitalized with multiple organ damage, especially the brain, heart and respiratory system.

So far, after a period of treatment, the mother (48 years old) has regained consciousness and had the breathing tube removed, but the son (15 years old) is still in a coma and in critical condition. "The poisoning cases this time have higher levels of HbCO in the blood than the victims of the fire in Khuong Ha, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi in September 2023," added a representative of the Poison Control Center.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, the Center has received many cases of CO poisoning that were not caused by fire or explosion, such as: "rotting" a motorbike in a closed room; running a generator in the bedroom; sitting in a car and being poisoned by inhaling CO from the car's smoke; using a gas-powered water heater; an oil fryer that uses both gas and electricity.

“CO is a colorless, odorless gas that does not irritate the respiratory tract. Therefore, it is difficult to detect the presence of CO in the air. CO gas is formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing materials such as gasoline, oil, natural gas, wood or charcoal, plastic, fabric, straw, etc. and is absorbed through the skin into the body, then converted into CO gas and causes poisoning,” said Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen.

MINH KHANG