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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
February 15, 2008 |
While
it may not look or feel like a winter wonderland, February temperatures can
get quite chilly in Southwest Florida. But since many residents aren’t heating their
homes on a regular basis they may choose things like space heaters to warm them up quickly. Dr. Larry Hobbs is the Director of Emergency Medicine at Southwest Florida
Regional Medical Center. He says, “I think it’s important that the space heaters
be kept up to date and all safety precautions are necessary.” That’s important because
Dr. Hobbs says several cases of carbon monoxide poisoning pass through his emergency
room each year. “The two times that we generally see that type of poisoning occur is when it’s very cold and people are using old antiquated space heaters or during
hurricane season.” If you decide to use your fireplace instead of a space heater,
it’s important to choose your burning materials carefully. “A lot of people actually
use their fire places and burn materials that give off carbon monoxide and they
have to be careful that they get adequate ventilation within the room to allow the
gas to escape,” says Dr. Hobbs.
Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include
nausea, dizziness, and sleepiness. If you’re feeling this way open up the doors
and windows to let out the gas and let in fresh air. If this doesn’t help your condition
may be more serious. “If the headaches persist or lethargy persists they do need
specialized
treatment sometimes in a hyperbaric chamber which we have here at Southwest
Florida Regional Medical Center,” says Dr. Hobbs. Call 911 if you have serious symptoms
of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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