Carbon monoxide poisoning makes for headline news too often during the heating season, noted anesthesiologist Aryeh Shander, MD, of Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, which provides expert care for poisoning victims through a unique service offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
“Many people don’t know the causes of this potentially deadly condition, or that it can be prevented. We’re talking about approximately 500 deaths nationwide each year, most of which could be prevented,” said Dr. Shander, who is Englewood Hospital’s chief of anesthesiology, critical care medicine, pain management and hyperbaric medicine.
“We are available to treat carbon monoxide victims every day, around-the-clock through the use of specialized oxygen therapy that hastens recovery, in addition to saving lives in some cases,” Dr. Shander continued. “However, we believe education and preventive steps are as or more important in stopping what is sometimes called the invisible killer.”
Arming individuals with effective and accurate information about this insidious killer is key in preventing needless loss of life. Here are some essential facts you need to know:
• Remember that carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless.
• Never ignore the symptoms of CO poisoning; these are shortness of breath, nausea, headache, dizziness and lightheadedness. At low levels, symptoms are very deceptive because they resemble the flu, food poisoning or other illnesses.
• Educate yourself and your family in advance about the dos and don’ts of alternate power sources during a power failure.
• Have all of your fuel-burning appliances—including oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves—inspected yearly.
• Make sure fuel-burning appliances, such as gas or kerosene space heaters, are properly vented.
• Never use a gas oven for heat.
• Don’t leave your car idling in a garage, even if the garage door is open.
• Avoid using a charcoal grill, or gasoline- or kerosene-powered equipment, such as a chainsaw or generator, in an enclosed space.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector and use it only for its recommended lifespan. Replace when needed.
• If you are a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning, be sure to get proper care. Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has an Underwater Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS) certified program with two chambers that provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) to victims of carbon monoxide, in addition to patients suffering from other serious conditions such as deep-sea bends and hard-to-heal wounds. The program, the only one of its kind in the state, is available 24-7, and accepts patients on an emergency basis, including critically ill individuals such as crush victims.
For more info about carbon monoxide poisoning or hyperbaric oxygen therapy, visit englewoodhospital.com or contact Ken Capek, administrative director of the Center of Hyperbaric Medicine, at 201-894-3157; ken.capek@ehmc.com.
