Mortality in Carbon Monoxide Poisonings

We’ve been writing about the carbon monoxide poisoning in Madison, WI for the past several days. Forty-five people were taken to the hospital, according to NBC15 News. The fire department is now investigating code regulations.

A generator was brought inside the building, causing the carbon monoxide to increase to dangerous levels. The owners of the venue, Salon Centinela, said that the band did not ask permission to bring the generator inside, and that they want their guests to be as safe as possible when attending events there.

A 2009 study in Critical Care Medicine had data to suggest that patients surviving acute carbon monoxide poisoning may also have increased risk of long-term mortality.

Neil B. Hampson, MD, Rose Anne Rudd, MSPH, and Niels M. Hauff, BE sought to analyze the long-term mortality of a large group of CO-poisoned patients treated at one medical center over three decades.

They studied a retrospective group of patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen who survived the acute poisoning. Long-term mortality was then compared to a standard population who had not experienced carbon monoxide poisoning.

The study included 1,073 patients who were at least 18 years old and were treated from 1978 to 2005. The setting was a regional referral center for hyperbaric oxygen treatment of CO poisoning.

During follow-up, 162 patients had died. The expected number of deaths was 87 based on the standardized mortality ratio.

Most of the excess mortality was for people who had intentionally poisoned themselves (58 excess deaths). Those who had accidental carbon monoxide poisoning had 17 excess deaths.

For the entire group, the main reason behind the deaths were psychiatric reasons, injuries, and violence. More specific causes of death were alcoholism, motor vehicle accidents with pedestrians, motor vehicle accidents of unspecified type, accidental poisonings, and intentional self-harm.

Within group analysis showed there was no greater risk based on severity of poisoning when controlling for additional factors like sex, age, race, and intent of poisoning.

In conclusion, those poisoned by carbon monoxide and treated with hyperbaric oxygen were at greater risk of long-term mortality. Patients should receive close follow-ups by doctors with special attention paid to psychiatric disorders and neurocognitive evaluation as appropriate.