There are a range of things to remember when responding to possible CO exposure calls. They include:
1. CO binds to blood cells at a higher affinity than oxygen — do not think that just taking someone into fresh air will quickly clear things up. Remember the half-life of CO in the body is hours, not minutes.
2. CO exposure can be a life-threatening situation. If you are treating patients inside their homes, you are also being exposed to CO.
3. CO exposure to patients does not occur just in the winter. Any time fossil fuels are burned, there is a potential for CO poisoning. This means a faulty hot water heater or stove can be the cause.
4. Be sure you treat the patient and be prepared for complications of CO such as seizures, cardiac ischemia and cardiac dysrhythmias.
5. Assess firefighters in rehab. They may have been exposed to CO during firefighting operations and not realize their fatigue may be related to CO exposure.
6. If Pulse CO-oximetry is available, do not forget to check yourself. If you are with patients in the back of a rig or sitting in a chief’s car, you may not realize that you are being exposed to CO.