Winter, CO poisonings coming

As winter approaches and more people turn on furnaces and heaters to get warm or run cars in garages, the number of carbon monoxide poisonings will increase, according to Dr. Lynn Weaver, medical director of hyperbaric medicine and co-director of the shock-trauma unit at LDS Hospital, where last week a Salt Lake-area family was treated for CO poisoning.

Jennifer Morrison woke up Sunday with a splitting headache, then kept drifting back to sleep. When she tried to go upstairs, she passed out. Upstairs, her grandfather, Richard Morrison, was sprawled in the hallway, calling her name but unable to get up. Her grandmother, Carol Morrison, was in the bathroom, "out of it."

The Morrisons were lucky for several reasons: Richard Morrison, while unable to move much, kept calling Jennifer's name, so she kept trying. She had her cell phone nearby and managed to call her mom, who lives a couple of houses away. Her mom rushed over, called 911 and started opening windows and doors. She got Jennifer out but couldn't move Richard or Carol. They had to wait for an ambulance and fire truck.

At LDS Hospital, they were each placed in one of three hyperbaric chambers. Over the next 24 hours, they would repeat the process two more times, a couple of hours each time.

There are two hospital-affiliated hyperbaric programs in Utah. The other one — a large room that can hold up to 12 people sitting or eight lying down — is at Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful.

The goal of hyperbaric treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning is simple: get oxygen back into the blood and reduce the risk of long-term complications from the CO exposure.

Carbon monoxide, or CO, is odorless, colorless gas that is found in combustion fumes, produced by motor vehicles, small gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, and gas ranges and heating systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list these symptoms as the most common: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. High levels can cause loss of consciousness and death. Because other illnesses have similar symptoms, it's sometimes hard to diagnose, but should be considered if two or more people in a house suddenly show the same symptoms. People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die before ever experiencing the symptoms, CDC says.

LDS Hospital sees CO poisoning about once a month in summer and once a week in colder months, said Weaver. At Lakeview Hospital, 23 patients were treated in one unusually busy week a few years ago, said Robert Samonte, program manager for the Wound and Hyperbaric Center there. It varies year to year.