False elevation of carboxyhemoglobin: case report.
Pediatr Emerg Care
; 27(2): 138-40, 2011 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21293225
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Carbon monoxide toxicity in infants and children, like adults, produce nonspecific symptoms with normal vital signs necessitating the serum measurement of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). In infants, the COHb may be falsely elevated.OBJECTIVES:
Our goal was to report a case of suspected carbon monoxide toxicity in an infant and the likely cause of the falsely elevated serum COHb. CASE A previously healthy 3-month-old girl presented to the pediatric emergency department (ED) with smoke inhalation from a defective furnace. She was asymptomatic. On examination, she was alert, with Glasgow Coma Scale of 15 and normal vital signs. Cardiorespiratory and neurological examinations were completely normal. Because of concern regarding carbon monoxide poisoning, she was treated with normobaric oxygen therapy. Initial and subsequent serum COHb levels were persistently elevated, despite treatment and the infant appearing clinically well. As such, she had a prolonged stay in the ED. Further investigations found that fetal hemoglobin interferes with the spectrophotometric method used to analyze serum COHb levels.CONCLUSIONS:
Carboxyhemoglobin serum level, in infants, may be falsely elevated due to the fetal hemoglobin interfering with standard methods of analysis. Knowledge of the false elevation using standard spectrophotometric methods of COHb in clinically well-appearing infants can decrease unnecessary oxygen therapy and monitoring time in the ED.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Carboxihemoglobina
/
Hemoglobina Fetal
/
Intoxicação por Monóxido de Carbono
/
Lesão por Inalação de Fumaça
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Pediatr Emerg Care
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA DE EMERGENCIA
/
PEDIATRIA
Ano de publicação:
2011
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá