Toxicity associated with carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is an insidious poison that accounts for thousands of deaths each year in North America. Clinical effects may be diverse and include headache, dizziness, nausea; vomiting, syn-cope, seizures, coma, dysrhythmias, and cardiac ischemia. Children, pregnant women, and patients who have underlying cardiovascular disease are particularly at risk for adverse out-comes. Treatment consists of oxygen therapy, supportive care, and, in selected cases, hyperbaric oxygen therapy.