You can't smell, taste or see it, but carbon monoxide can kill you. But thanks to ground-breaking research conducted by Alpert Medical School professors at Rhode Island Hospital, carbon monoxide poisoning can now be caught and treated early on with routine emergency room screenings.
The study was conducted from December 2005 to August 2006, and the accompanying article was accepted by the Journal of Emergency Medicine in December. It surveyed 14,000 patients at Rhode Island Hospital over a two-month period, which is the largest group of patients screened for carbon monoxide poisoning to date, said head researcher and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Selim Suner. All of the patients came into the ER complaining of common ailments, such as toothaches, depression and injuries. Doctors found that 11 of these patients had carbon monoxide poisoning. This routine procedure was performed on patients using a noninvasive de-oximiter, which just clips onto the finger and reads blood carbon monoxide concentrations in seconds.
Since the study was published, carbon monoxide screening has become a routine procedure for all emergency room patients in both Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital, Suner said. In the near future, EMTs may perform the procedure prior to a patient's hospital admittance. Once patients know they have been exposed to harmful amounts of carbon monoxide, they can receive proper treatment and figure out what led to the dangerous exposure.
Suner said he believes that this routine screening will "lead to earlier detection and earlier treatment which will prevent patients from falling through the cracks." He said he hopes the study will lead to increased attention on carbon monoxide research as well as public awareness to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide exposure is due to environmental factors, so routine screening of just one patient can lead to detection of an unsafe environment that affects many people, Suner said. He added that he and his team of researchers plan to extend their research into pediatrics at the Hasbro Children's Hospital.
The other researchers include Robert Partridge, adjunct associate professor of emergency medicine; Andrew Sucov, assistant professor of emergency medicine; Jonathan Valente, assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics; Kerlen Chee, house staff officer in emergency medicine and Gregory Jay, associate professor of emergency medicine.
