Treatment of Severe Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Using a Portable Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber

We report the first case of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy by using a portable hyperbaric stretcher. A 40-year-old British man in Kabul, Afghanistan, was found unresponsive in his apartment. Initial treatment consisted of oxygen by mask at a Combat Support Hospital for several hours, with minimal improvement. Operational security and risk prevented his immediate evacuation to the nearest fixed hyperbaric facilities. He was subsequently treated twice using an Emergency Evacuation Hyperbaric Stretcher, according to the US Navy Diving Manual treatment Table 9. The patient showed marked neurologic improvement after the first treatment and experienced near complete recovery before eventual evacuation. This case illustrates the practical use of portable chambers for the treatment of suspected cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in an austere environment.