Carbon monoxide poisoning: symptoms and first aid measures

Carbon monoxide poisoning is quite common. One case of gas poisoning in Indonesia that had caused an uproar in the community occurred in 2007 at a boarding school in Kuningan, West Java. The latest case of monoxide poisoning was experienced by the vocalist of the K-Pop group Shinee, Kim Jonghyun, some time ago after accidentally inhaling carbon monoxide gas to end his life.

Monoxide gas poisoning can be fatal. Here's what you should do to save yourself and / or save others when caught in the same situation.

What is contained in monoxide gas, so that it can be poisonous?

Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because of its vague symptoms and can kill silently. Moreover, poisoning of carbon monoxide or CO gas is often detected too late because these gases are odorless, colorless, tasteless, and non-irritating. In fact, carbon monoxide gas is flammable and very poisonous.

This gas is produced from incomplete combustion, for example in motor vehicle exhaust fumes, heating stoves such as wood stoves or stoves, train smoke, to cigarette smoke. The percentage content of carbon monoxide from combustion varies. For example, car exhaust usually contains 9% CO gas. The monoxide content of cigarette smoke can range from 5-10 percent.

After inhalation, carbon monoxide can bind tightly to blood hemoglobin 200 times more tightly than oxygen. CO gas will also flow with the blood to all parts of the body, so that it will cause cell and tissue damage due to lack of oxygen.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

Following are the initial symptoms that may appear after carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Unbearable headache and dizziness
• Stomach ache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion
• Hard to breathe
• Sleepy
• Very weak feeling

The longer you inhale the gas, the worse the symptoms will be. Severe poisoning can cause loss of balance, loss of vision, loss of memory, and even loss of consciousness (fainting or coma).

If the poisoning is continuous in the long term, you can experience various symptoms in the nervous system such as difficulty thinking, concentrating, and emotional changes so that sometimes you can take irrational and impulsive actions.

The following are other symptoms that are more severe due to prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Psychiatric changes and personality changes
• Vertigo
• Ataxia (loss of body coordination due to brain and nervous system damage)
• Tachycardia (fast heart rate, can be more than 100 beats per minute)
• Chest pain due to angina or heart disease
• Convulsions
• Loss of consciousness

Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause death.

First aid aid in carbon monoxide poisoning

The sooner poisoning is detected and treated, the higher your chances of recovery and survival.

Here's how to do first aid for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Call 119 or an emergency telephone number in your area, or rush to the hospital immediately, if the victim of poisoning experiences any of the following:

• Drowsiness or unconsciousness
• Have trouble breathing or stop breathing
• Uncontrollable excitement or restlessness
• Have seizures

Be prepared to provide information about the victim regarding symptoms, age, weight, the drugs she is taking, and any other information you know about the cause of her poisoning. Try to determine the amount of poison that has been swallowed and how long it has been since exposure to that poison began.

What to do while waiting for help?

Do the following while waiting for help to arrive:

• Immediately stay away from places where the gas is suspected, such as car exhaust. Take it to an open area with lots of fresh air. Avoid closed rooms.
• If the victim shows no signs of life, such as not moving, breathing, or coughing, perform cardiac resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
• If the victim vomits, tilt his head to the side to prevent choking.

Call the National Poisoning Information Center (SIKer) at 0813-1082-6879 in Jakarta, Indonesia, or contact your Regional SIKer for further guidance.