REVIEW   

Minerva Pneumologica 2020 December;59(4):76-82

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4954.20.01904-5

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Carbon monoxide intoxication: not only a silent killer

Giulia STATTI ^{1, 2} ✉, Matteo DAVERIO ^{2, 3}, Rui SHI ⁴, Piero E. BALBO ³

¹ Emergency Medicine Department, Maggiore della Carità University Hospital, Novara, Italy; ² Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy; ³ Division of Respiratory Diseases, Medical Department, Maggiore della Carità University Hospital, Novara, Italy; ⁴ Medical Intensive Care Unit, Bicêtre Hospital, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning represents the most common cause of acute intoxication worldwide and may be associated with potentially life-threatening consequences. However, once the patient is safely discharged from the hospital, the risk of long-term sequelae remains, which most commonly involves neurological and cognitive impairments, but also cardiological delayed injuries. In this narrative review we aimed at analyzing some of the most important pathophysiological mechanisms that are responsible for both the immediate and delayed injuries in case of CO poisoning, and to highlight the mainstay for the diagnosis and management of CO intoxication.

KEY WORDS: Carbon monoxide; Emergency medicine; Emergency service, hospital