Hyperbaric Treatment for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Kingston Family of Six Travels to Phelps for Treatment in 12-Person Hyperbaric Chamber

Two days after a law mandating the use of carbon monoxide detectors in all homes in New York State went into effect, a family of six from Kingston learned the hard way how dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning can be.

The family of Alvah and Lori White lost electrical power in their home during one of the season's most brutal snowstorms February 25-26. Their emergency generator kicked in and during the night the house filled up with poisonous carbon monoxide gas.

The family was brought to Benedictine Hospital in Kingston, where it was determined that they required immediate hyperbaric treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. Following a four-hour ambulance ride through the snowstorm, they arrived at Phelps. They were all treated together in the hospital's 12-person state-of-the-art hyperbaric chamber, the largest in the northeast. To ensure that the family's treatment needs would be met, Dr. Owen J. O'Neill, Medical Director of Hyperbaric Medicine at Phelps, and the hyperbaric team stayed overnight at the hospital during the storm.

The family sat in the pressurized chamber with the hyperbaric team members breathing pure hyperbaric oxygen during the two and a half hour treatment. They remained overnight in the hospital and received a second hyperbaric treatment in the morning.

"This family was very lucky. They were expeditiously diagnosed and transferred to us by the emergency team at Benedictine Hospital. The family received prompt treatment to eliminate the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. If left untreated, carbon monoxide poisoning can cause chronic neurological problems in the future," said Dr. O'Neill. "We were thrilled to be able to accommodate the entire family together in our hyperbaric chamber."

On February 23, 2010 New York State mandated the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in all homes in New York State. The law, "Amanda's Law," is named for Amanda Hansen, a 16-year-old New York girl who died in 2009 due to a carbon monoxide leak from a defective boiler.
Under Amanda's Law, homes built after January 1, 2008 are required to have CO alarms installed by the builder. Homes built before this date are required to have at least one battery-powered CO alarm. Additionally, the law requires contractors to install a CO alarm when replacing a hot water tank or furnace if the home does not already have one.

Carbon monoxide can be produced when burning any type of fuel if the flammable material does not burn completely. Carbon monoxide is odorless and tasteless and can kill silently in minutes or hours, depending on the levels and duration of exposure. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to the flu or common cold explaining why it is not correctly diagnosed in some cases. Symptoms can include dizziness, fatigue, weakness, throbbing headache, nausea, vomiting, irregular breathing, sleepiness and confusion.

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