Carbon monoxide poisonings rise as temperatures dip

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 rushed over, called 911 and started opening windows and doors.

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.

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.

LDS Hospital sees CO poisoning about once a month in summer and once a week in colder months, said Weaver.

Nearly a week after treatment, Jennifer Morrison said she was still tired. She and her grandparents don't know the exact source of the leak, but emergency crews narrowed it to the furnace, water heater or the dryer. The furnace vent has been adjusted. The water heater's been replaced. And the family now has a carbon monoxide detector near each bedroom.

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