Clinical and Laboratory Markers of Grieb et al for Severity of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Patient selection: carbon monoxide poisoning

Outcome: duration of hospital stay as measure of poisoning severity

Markers of poisoning severity:

(1) admission Glasgow coma score (GCS) < 12, with severity increasing as GCS falls

(2) elevated admission serum C-reactive protein (> 5 mg/L)

(3) elevated leukocyte count (WBC count; > 10,000 per µL

(4) pulmonary infiltrate seen on chest X-ray

The longest admissions tended to be in patients with GCS 3 to 5.

ICU discharge criteria:

(1) orientation to time, person and place

(2) GCS 15

(3) COHb < 3%

(4) PaO2 > 80 mm Hg