Carboxyhemoglobin levels in patients with cocaine-related chest pain.
Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels were measured in patients who came to an emergency department complaining of acute chest pain. For subjects not receiving prior oxygen therapy, those with cocaine-related chest pain (n = 10) had a higher mean COHb level than a comparison group (n = 28) with nonischemic chest pain (4.50 +/- 2.40 vs 2.73 +/- 0.66; p < 0.05). Four of the seven (57 percent) who smoked crack had COHb levels greater than 4.5 percent, while only one of six (17 percent) smokers of only tobacco had such a level. These findings suggest an additional mechanism, the formation of COHb, which could aggravate cocaine-induced cardiotoxicity.
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, Mass.
S N
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Kales
J
J
Feldman
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L
Pepper
S S
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Fish
D
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Ozonoff
D C
DC
Christiani
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*
D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin; D003042:Cocaine