A patient is found with a suicide note in a car and brought in by ambulance. He complains of headache, malaise, nausea, and dizziness. He is too altered to give much more history. His skin looks a little red. Vital signs are: HR 70, BP 110/60, RR 16, O2 saturation 99% on room air, temperature 37. Cardiac biomarkers (CKMB and troponin) are elevated. A CT of the head, taken 16 hours later, is shown above. Weeks later, the patient still has some cognitive deficits, personality changes, and neurologic defects.
Challenge: What diagnostic test should the emergency department order?
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3 comments:
carbon monoxide poisoning, and the test is a carboxyhemoglobin level
They need to test carboxyhemoglobin, because carbon monoxide poisoning can have normal O2 sat on pulse oximetry?
yes! nice job! i'm not sure i've ever seen this, but i've definitely been tested on it
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Clear, Colorless, Odorless
Carbon monoxide poisoning is diagnosed by cooximetry of a blood gas sample; standard pulse oximetry does not distinguish between carboxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin.
Sources: UpToDate; LearningRadiology.com.
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