Recommended Equipment and Technique Standardization for Prediction of Carboxyhemoglobin Levels Following Carbon Monoxide Exposures

A rapid method is needed for determining blood carboxyhemoglobin COHb in military field environments. The most common method available to determine COHb utilizes a laboratory analytical procedure. Although this technique is accurate, it is time-consuming and offers none of the flexibility desired for a field environment. After a review of the literature, a technique using the concentration of carbon monoxide CO in expired alveolar air to indicate blood COHb was identified. Commercial equipment is available to collect alveolar air samples and determine its CO concentration. By use of a curve to correlate alveolar CO and blood COHb, the needed data can be obtained in a matter of minutes. This report describes light-weight equipment and easy procedures suited to a military field setting. The equipment, in a briefcase- sized container, is commercially available to initiate field testing. Carbon monoxide CO Carboxyhemoglobin COHb Alveolar air Exposure physiology.