TY - JOUR
PY - 2018//
TI - Epidemiological study of carbon monoxide deaths in Scotland 2007-2016
JO - Journal of forensic sciences
A1 - Lisbona, Claudia Forés
A1 - Hamnett, Hilary J.
SP - 1776
EP - 1782
VL - 63
IS - 6
N2 - Carbon monoxide (CO) intoxications are quite frequent in forensic toxicology. Using a sample of 209 CO-positive deaths in Scotland from 2007 to 2016, this study provides ranges of percentage CO saturations (%COHb) according to the CO source and examines any correlation with age, gender, alcohol, and preexisting disease. It also reports the full toxicological findings, including drug concentrations, in CO-positive cases. The highest numbers of fatalities involved males, occurred during autumn/winter, and the main source of CO was fire. The median %COHb in fire-related cases was significantly lower than in non-fire-related cases such as those involving exhausts, generators and gas supply systems, and portable BBQs. There was no relationship between %COHb and age, blood alcohol concentration, or the presence of preexisting cardiovascular and/or respiratory disease. Toxicology results revealed that prescription medications were the most commonly detected drug group and that the number of cases positive for controlled drugs was small.
© 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0022-1198 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.13790 ID - ref1 ER -