Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Actually, IIRC, it is absorbed into the RBCs hemoglobin rather than oxygen, and replaces the oxygen.
You die of asphyxia caused by CO poisoning.
Most people who die from it are overcome before they even realize what is happening.
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This is correct.
Quote:
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Cyanosis, nailbeds not blanching and recovering, shortness of breath, etc. are symptoms.
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The symptoms of CO poisoning are more typically things like headache, confusion, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath on exertion, the vague "flu-like symptoms" mentioned earlier in this thread. Hence its moniker as a "silent killer."
You should
not see cyanosis nor prolonged capillary refill in the nail beds unless there is some comorbid condition.
Years ago, during my EMS training, we were taught that the cardinal symptom for CO poisoning was bright "cherry red" skin. Unfortunately, this is a very late sign (read: dead?), or not present at all. An article in the Journal of Emergency Medicine from 2002 said "cherry red" skin was present in only approximately 2% of cases.
As an additional point of interest on this topic, pulse oximetry is useless in the diagnosis of CO poisoning as the tightly bound CO on the heme (forming carboxyhemoglobin) provides a false positive, or "false oxygen-saturation-ness," to the meter, making the patient's oxygen saturation levels appear higher (even normal, or above normal) than they really are.
(Note: Carboxyhemoglobin levels themselves can be measured.)