Carbon dioxide poisoning, also known as hypercapnia, can occur when the body is unable to eliminate excess carbon dioxide or is exposed to high levels of it. Symptoms range from mild muscle twitches to severe disorientation and can be fatal if left untreated. Treatment involves removing excess carbon dioxide and administering oxygen. Causes include lung problems, decreased consciousness, and environmental exposure. Diagnosis is made through medical history and laboratory tests. Long-term effects include nerve function deterioration. Adequate ventilation is important for prevention.
Carbon dioxide poisoning is a condition in which the body is unable to eliminate carbon dioxide or is exposed to levels of carbon dioxide beyond the body’s tolerance level. Also called hypercapnia or hypercapnia, it triggers tachypnea, an increase in respiratory rate to expel excess carbon dioxide. When this reflex tachypnea fails, it can be fatal. In addition to increased breathing, the effects of carbon dioxide poisoning include difficulty breathing, flushed skin, and neurological changes. Treatment involves facilitating the removal of excess carbon dioxide from the blood, usually through intubation, and the administration of oxygen through oxygen tanks.
There are two causes of carbon dioxide poisoning: intrinsic causes, when the cause is within the person’s body, and extrinsic causes, when the cause is elevation of carbon dioxide levels in the inhaled air. This condition can occur in people who have a lung problem, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and in people who are hypoventilating. It can occur among people who have opioid poisoning or decreased consciousness. Environmental exposure to abnormally high levels of carbon dioxide, such as occurs during volcanic eruptions, can also lead to this condition. Frozen carbon dioxide or dry ice exposure can also lead to hypercapnia.
Symptoms of carbon dioxide poisoning can be divided into mild symptoms and severe symptoms based on the amount of carbon dioxide inhaled. Mild symptoms occur when the carbon dioxide concentration is about 1%, or 10,000 parts per million, and these symptoms include muscle twitches or spasms, hand clapping, reddening of the skin, and reduced alertness. Severe symptoms occur when carbon dioxide levels exceed 5%, and these symptoms include headache, disorientation, hyperventilation, and lethargy. Signs of carbon dioxide poisoning include increased blood pressure, increased respiratory rate, increased or irregular heart rate, and increased cardiac output. These can progress to loss of consciousness, coma, seizures and death.
The diagnosis of hypercapnia is made by taking the patient’s medical history, observing signs and symptoms, and performing laboratory tests. A person is said to have hypercapnia if the carbon dioxide level exceeds 45 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). As a result, the potential hydrogen (pH) of the blood becomes acidic. The body usually compensates for hypercapnia by increasing the concentration of bicarbonate in the blood. Measurement of serum bicarbonate above 28 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) is also expected in carbon dioxide poisoning.
Treatment of carbon dioxide poisoning focuses on both eliminating excess carbon dioxide from the body and providing pure oxygen to maintain normal bodily processes. Emergency measures are usually performed, including endotracheal incubation and intravenous administration of fluids and drugs to regulate the patient’s heart rate and cardiac output. The long-term effects of carbon dioxide poisoning include deterioration or impairment of nerve functions, including decreased cognition and impaired memory. It is important to prevent this by ensuring that workers exposed to carbon dioxide receive adequate ventilation.
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