title: The Importance of H-FABP in Determining the Severity of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this study, we aimed to investigate the importance of the use of heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) in evaluating the myocardial damage in patients admitted to the emergency department with moderate to severe carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients admitted to the emergency department with severe acute CO intoxication were enrolled the study. The H-FABP and cardiac biomarker levels were assessed at 0, 6th and 24th hours. The patients were divided into groups as those with normal echocardiography findings and with wall motion abnormalities. The differences between the groups for these parameters were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of 80 patients was 32.3 ± 12.9 years old. 42 of them were male. On admission, 29 (36.3%) had elevated serum troponin I levels and 56 (70.0%) had elevated serum H-FABP levels. At 6thhour, 4 (5.0%) of 80 patients had higher serum H-FABP levels and 23 (28.8%) of them had higher serum Troponin I levels than 0 hour. The patients with wall motion abnormality had significantly higher serum H-FABP levels compared to the patients with normal echocardiography findings at 6th and 24th hours (p = 0.001 and 0.009). While the serum COHb and H-FABP levels tended to decrease continuously in time (p < 0.001), the serum troponin I levels increased at 6th hour and then decreased at 24th hour (p = 0.017).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serum H-FABP levels are useful in identifying the myocardial damage in patients admitted to the emergency department with moderate to severe carbon monoxide poisoning at an early phase.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Carbon monoxide; Poisoning; H-FABP; Myocardial injury.
authors.affiliation: Konya Training and Research Hospital, Emergency Department, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koylu
authors.forename: Basar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cander
authors.forename: Zerrin Defne
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Dundar
authors.forename: Oznur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Koylu
authors.forename: Nazire Belgin
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Akilli
authors.forename: Korhan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ivelik