EMS Protocol of the Week - Carbon Monoxide (Adult and Pediatric)

Anyone else start getting that dusty, musty smell from the heater in your apartment running for the first time since spring? Anyone get headaches with that must? Nausea, confusion? Syncope?

The prehospital protocol for carbon monoxide poisoning is primarily about recognition. Some services may carry CO monitors that can measure a patient’s SpCO, much like a pulse oximeter, but the more important thing is to have a healthy clinical suspicion for it the same way you would in the ED. Often, these crews will be responding to the scene of a fire, or where a CO detector has gone off, so ensuring scene safety is obviously the other crucial part of this approach.

Speaking of fires, what other considerations do we have for EMS when flames are involved? Stay tuned to find out! www.nycremsco.org or the protocol binder until then.

Dave