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Citation |
Hampson NB. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 2011; 29(1): 75-77. |
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Affiliation |
Department of Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
20825787 |
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Abstract |
CONTEXT: Although morbidity and mortality from accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are high in the United States, identification of common but poorly recognized sources should help prevention efforts. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to describe CO poisoning of home occupants due to a vehicle left running in an attached garage. DESIGN: News stories reporting incidents of US CO poisoning were collected daily from March 2007 to September 2009 via a news.Google.com search and data extracted. PATIENTS: Patients were individuals reported in the media to have been poisoned with CO in their home by a vehicle running in the attached garage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome measures were frequency of occurrence, geographic distribution, patient demographics, and mortality. RESULTS: Of 837 CO poisoning incidents reported in US news media over 2 and a half years, 59 (8%) were the result of a vehicle left running in the garage. The elderly were disproportionately affected, with incidents most common in states with larger elderly populations and 29% of cases with age specified occurring in individuals older than 80 years. Among those older than 80 years, 15 of 17 were found dead at the scene. CONCLUSIONS: Residential CO poisoning from a vehicle running in the garage is common, disproportionately affects the elderly, has a high mortality rate, and should be preventable with a residential CO alarm. Language: en |