Residential carbon monoxide poisoning from motor vehicles.
BACKGROUND
Although morbidity and mortality from accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are high in the United States, identification of common but poorly recognized sources should help prevention efforts.


OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to describe CO poisoning of home occupants due to a vehicle left running in an attached garage.


METHODS
News stories reporting incidents of US CO poisoning were collected daily from March 2007 to September 2009 via a news.Google.com search and data extracted.


METHODS
Patients were individuals reported in the media to have been poisoned with CO in their home by a vehicle running in the attached garage.


METHODS
Main outcome measures were frequency of occurrence, geographic distribution, patient demographics, and mortality.


RESULTS
Of 837 CO poisoning incidents reported in US news media over 2 and a half years, 59 (8%) were the result of a vehicle left running in the garage. The elderly were disproportionately affected, with incidents most common in states with larger elderly populations and 29% of cases with age specified occurring in individuals older than 80 years. Among those older than 80 years, 15 of 17 were found dead at the scene.


CONCLUSIONS
Residential CO poisoning from a vehicle running in the garage is common, disproportionately affects the elderly, has a high mortality rate, and should be preventable with a residential CO alarm.
Hampson
Neil B
NB
Department of Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. neil.hampson@vmmc.org
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult