An evaluation of childhood carbon monoxide intoxications in a rural area using the Beaufort wind scale.

ABSTRACT

Climatic changes are known to affect CO intoxications. The purpose of this study was to examine childhood CO intoxications with the Beaufort wind scale (BWS) classification of wind speeds. The demographic data (age and sex) and information concerning the hour, day, and month of presentation to the emergency department for cases diagnosed with CO intoxication over a 7-year period between 2015 and 2021 in the pediatric emergency department of a tertiary training and research hospital in a rural area were examined. Wind speeds (m/s) measured on the days of presentation to the emergency department were recorded. The wind category on the BWS on the day of intoxication was then determined. Four hundred twenty-two patients, with a mean age of 95.12 ± 59.4 (1-215) months, 218 (51.7%) girls and 204 (48.3%) boys were diagnosed with CO intoxication over the 7-year study period. A comparison of wind speeds on the days of presentation to hospital revealed a significantly higher wind speed in 2020 than in the other years (p<0.001). A comparison of the groups in terms of the BWS revealed a significant difference between the years of presentation to hospital (p0.001). This is the first study to investigate CO intoxications in the pediatric emergency department with the BWS. A significant association was observed between wind speed based on the BWS and childhood CO intoxications. Further studies evaluating wind in the rural setting and CO intoxications are now needed for protection against such intoxications.