On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 22:22:24 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

When I was in first aid class, they said it was about 200 times stronger
affinity than oxygen.

Sometimes they use "hyerbaric" oxygen chambers to treat monoxide poisoning.
High pressure tanks, where the patient is in higher pressure. Like they do
for divers who have "the bends".



Net result is that once the stuff's bonded to enough hemogloben even if you get out to
fresh air or somebody drags you out you're still going to die because the O2 from
the fresh air can't get to the hemogloben.
--
PeteCresswell


This is an equilibrium not an irreversable reaction. So yes
haemoglobin does have a higher affinity for CO than O2. BUT once you
are in fresh air there is no CO in the air for practical purposes so
you start to lose CO from your blood immediately.

This leads to the odd situation that if you call a hyperbaric unit and
tell them the CO level in a victims blood they ask how long to reach
them and the level. If you are close they will take someone with a
lower level than if you live further away. Why?because they know that
in the time taken to make the journey the level will fall by a
predictable amount.

Treatment with oxygen at the scene helps but the first big step is
get them into fresh air, I have seen the plots of CO levels , it does
work.


N