Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Effectively Treated with High-flow Nasal Cannula

Patrick Lee; Steven D Salhanick

doi:10.5811/cpcem.2019.9.43618

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Effectively Treated with High-flow Nasal Cannula

Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2019 Nov 19;4(1):42-45. doi: 10.5811/cpcem.2019.9.43618. eCollection 2020 Feb.

Authors

Patrick Lee¹, Steven D Salhanick²

Affiliations

¹ Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Nashua, New Hampshire.
² Massachusetts/Rhode Island Center for Poison Control and Information, Staff Toxicologist, Boston, Massachusetts.

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is typically treated by administration of oxygen via non-rebreather mask (NRB). High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is an alternative to NRB in a variety of disease states. We report a case of the novel use of HFNC in the treatment of acute CO poisoning. A 29-year-old man presented with a carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level of 29.8%. He was treated with HFNC, and COHb levels declined to 5.4% in 230 minutes. Given several theoretical advantages of HFNC relative to NRB, HFNC is a potential option for use in the treatment of CO poisoning.

Publication types

Case Reports