Ms. Gong, 45 years old, forgot to turn off the gas valve while boiling water with natural gas. When her husband came home from work, he found the kettle completely burnt. Ms. Gong was unconscious in bed with shallow breathing. She was rushed to emergency rescue and admitted to hospital, diagnosed with severe acute carbon monoxide poisoning, severe pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, acidosis and other complications. Comprehensive treatments including mechanical ventilation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, anti-infection therapy, and internal environment stabilization were administered.
She regained consciousness after 3 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and fully recovered her mental state after 8 sessions. After 11 days of hospitalization in our hyperbaric oxygen intensive care unit, she was discharged smoothly. However, the risk of delayed encephalopathy still remains, and she needs to continue hyperbaric oxygen treatment on an outpatient basis.
The main component of natural gas is methane. Incomplete combustion of natural gas produces large amounts of carbon monoxide, which leads to carbon monoxide poisoning. Natural gas leakage causes the human body to inhale high-concentration methane, resulting in dizziness, chest tightness, fatigue and other symptoms. Always close the gas valve promptly after using natural gas.
Delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning is a neurological disorder characterized by dementia, mental disorders, paralysis and other symptoms, occurring 2 to 60 days following acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Timely medical treatment and persistent hyperbaric oxygen therapy after poisoning can effectively reduce the incidence of such encephalopathy.