Carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for more than 50,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. annually and is one of the leading causes of poisoning death globally. In addition to its lethal effects, CO exposure can also have debilitating effects on the body and brain.
鈥淲hile antibodies for snake bites and chemicals for cyanide poisoning are available as antidotes, there are currently no ways to remove carbon monoxide, most likely because it鈥檚 a gas molecule much like oxygen,鈥� says Mark Gladwin, Chair of the Dept. of Medicine at the Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Director of the Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, Blood, and Vascular Medicine Institute.
Carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas, sticks to hemoglobin in the blood, preventing oxygen from reaching vital organs. The only treatment for CO exposure is administering 100% oxygen or using a hyperbaric chamber to administer oxygen at high...
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