A Case of Neuropsychological Sequelae of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Carbon Monoxide is one of the most common causes of inhalation poisoning worldwide and can result in significant morbidity due to persistent neuropathology and cognitive sequelae. The manifestation of carbon monoxide poisoning are non specific and severity of symptoms range from mild such as headache, confusion, lack of energy to severe, such as coma, respiratory depression, cardiac dysfunction and even death. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for decades in the treatment of acute and delayed effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. Hyperbaric Oxygen is the only treatment for acute CO poisoning where it competes with CarboxyHemoglobin preventing the resultant damage and in delayed neuropsychological sequelae. This case report is of a young lady from rural Haryana presented after 48 hours of CO Poisoning with acute confusion, partial retrograde and complete anterograde memory loss. Following 15 days of hyperbaric oxygen she showed near complete recovery and her Mini Mental Scale Examination (MMSE) score which was 12/30 on the first day went up to 29/30. This case demonstrates that HBO therapy is efficacious in recovery of delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.