Delayed neurologic sequelae of carbon monoxide intoxication

Bedriye Müge Sönmez; Murat Doğan İşcanlı; Selçuk Parlak; Yasin Doğan; Hilmi Gökhan Ulubay; Emirhan Temel

doi:10.1016/j.tjem.2018.04.002

Bedriye Müge Sönmez¹, Murat Doğan İşcanlı¹, Selçuk Parlak², Yasin Doğan¹, Hilmi Gökhan Ulubay¹, Emirhan Temel²

¹Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
²Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ankara, Turkey

Keywords: Intoxication, Carbon monoxide, Emergency department, Altered consciousness

Abstract

Altered consciousness and accompanying neurological symptoms are both complex and challenging cases for emergency physicians. These are not specific and may be a sign of a variety of medical conditions including stroke and delayed neurological sequelae (DNS) is a recurrent transient neuropsychiatric consequence of CO intoxication. DNS produces a spectrum of varying symptoms and the diagnosis is primarily made on the basis of clinical features and radiological findings from CT and conventional MRI. In clinical practice, serious CO intoxication is treated only with oxygen therapy although no effective treatment exists. Emergency physicians play a major role in managing patients presenting with CO intoxication and preventing DNS.