What Researchers Did
Researchers treated five comatose patients suffering from smoke inhalation, elevated carboxyhemoglobin, and presumed cyanide and carbon monoxide intoxication with a cyanide antidote kit and hyperbaric oxygen.
What They Found
All five patients presented with elevated carboxyhemoglobin levels (mean 32% +/- 6) and a mean cyanide blood level of 1.62 microgram/mL +/- 1.44 prior to treatment. Four of the five patients awoke within 15 minutes of reaching maximum hyperbaric oxygen pressure and remained neurologically intact, while one patient with the highest cyanide level (3.9 microgram/mL) died one week later.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients experiencing severe smoke inhalation with suspected carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, alongside standard cyanide antidotes, may offer a rapid and effective treatment option. This approach could potentially improve neurological outcomes and survival rates in critically ill patients.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and does not have a direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation of this study is its very small sample size of only five patients, which limits the generalizability of the findings.