Carbon monoxide and apnea

I wasn't feeling so good a few days Better today. One factor was that the temperature was much lower than normal and the furnace was running a lot.

So I am getting a carbon monoxide indicator tomorrow.

It occurs to me to ask what issues, if any, is there between carbon monoxide apnea. I have a couple thoughts.

1. Since carbon monoxide (CO) binds to hemoglobin it might interfere with your oximeter readings.

2. Another thing is that apnea sufferers might confuse the symptoms of mild CO poisoning with a failing CPAP or APAP machine.

They say that low level CO poisoning is often hard to diagnose. I think we might confuse it with our apnea.

Most of the medical studies I find online compare the impact of carbon monoxide with the impact of sleep apnea, but not if there is an impact of carbon monoxide on apenea patients. Apnea is better than CO poisoning.

Incidentally, carbon monoxide (CO) is toxic, carbon dioxide (CO2) isn't.

This is a link to a good article on CO poisoning.

http://www.lexingtonpulmonary.com/educa ... oxide.html

Why would any of us be breathing even low level CO? I can understand one house having an undiagnosed leak that needs attention, but chances of more seem a little far featched. Radon is more common, but even then I think it may be overstated.

Yes, carbon monoxide does interfere with oximeter readings.
It increases the apparent SPO2 reading so that it appears as if the blood oxygen level is higher than it actually is.
It does this by combining with the hemoglobin so that oximeters like the CMS50 series read the combined effect of the Oxygen saturated hemoglobin and the CO saturated hemoglobin and give you a reading that is incorrect. The REAL SPO2 reading is less than the apparent reading.

So there are two problems,
1) the ability of the blood to transfer oxygen is impaired, and
2) the normal way of determining this is rendered faulty.

I live in a part of the world where the furnace is running pretty much all the time (it's going down to -20C tonight.) We also have a gas stove in the kitchen. We've had a CO monitor for years, as now required by Ontario law for all homes. With our 90,000 BTU/h furnace running, the monitor reads a solid 0.0 all the time.

A well maintained furnace with a clear chimney / vent won't increase the CO levels inside the house no matter how much it is running. The CO levels should only increase inside the house if there is a problem with the furnace, or the chimney / vent is blocked.

There was a significant increase in CO poisonings, however, after the December ice storm and subsequent power failures when many people were using improvised and improperly vented combustion heading methods inside their homes, such as BBQs etc.

We switched over to electric heat in 1980.
This also meant learning how to cook without gas.
No gas in the house at all; we even told the gas company where they could
put their (expletive deleted) meter.
Our grill uses propane-outdoors, where gas belongs!
Gas companies have the power to raise prices for no reason al all;
electric companies have to get approval from the PSC.

Where I live, there is a significant difference in cost. Gas heating is a fraction of the cost of electric. Natural gas prices are regulated here, as are electrical prices.

Virtually nobody in Ontario uses electric heating anymore, whereas almost everyone I know uses gas. I know one person that uses oil, and another (out in the countryside) who uses high density wood pellets. Everybody else uses natural gas.

The gas companies here bend us over something horrible.

Well as far as pricing, my electric bill is outrageous! Last month electric $511, gas $120. I have gas heat, stove & water heater. I'm trying to find a way to get a whole house generator to power my house with natural gas & tell the electric company to shove it 'where the sun don't shine'. Oh, and I don't have a large home. I've been in constant battle mode with Duke Energy and the Indiana Utilities Commission. I guess my situation is just opposite of most folks this winter. My electric battle has been ongoing for the last 5 - 6 years.

My heart goes out to those with high gas bills due to this cold, cold winter.

Jen

No natural gas where I live. Bottled gas or electricity. I wish I could afford solar, my parents are still in credit since they had solar installed a couple of years ago

JDS74 wrote:It increases the apparent SPO2 reading so that it appears as if the blood oxygen level is higher than it actually is.

Actually, CO simply displaces O2, so the readings remain the same.

Further, a Masimo Rad-57 oximeter (CO-oximeter) has the ability to differentiate between CO and O2 saturation.

Finally, the approach to suspected CO poisoning is always get out NOW, not tomorrow.

Ontario CPAP wrote:A well maintained furnace with a clear chimney / vent won't increase the CO levels inside the house no matter how much it is running. The CO levels should only increase inside the house if there is a problem with the furnace, or the chimney / vent is blocked.

An excellent point. "IMHO" those "annual burner check-ups" leave a lot to be desired. 1235, what kind of furnace/boiler/burner do you have?

There can be really low levels of Carbon monoxide resulting in poisoning that isn't readily realized by people suffering from it.

(Side note: Cooking on an electric stove, the horror.)

Natural gas is far and away the cheapest form of heat in our area (Idaho) even though most electricity comes from hydroelectric dams. Back in the 1960s the regional utility gave discounts for "total electric" homes and many radiant electric heat (coils in the ceilings). A person would go broke nowadays trying to heat that way--plus there is no air circulation in the house. We have had carbon monoxide sensors in the House for years after we had the firebox in a faulty furnace crack. Provides peace of mind. I really like gas heat--especially when we get the bills for or 90 percent efficiency furnace.

If you get a CO detector, be sure to get one with a display, not simply one that sets an alarm off. You can then tell the difference between "run for your life right now" and "open the windows and look for the source for a few minutes" levels of CO.

Also learn how to use the CO detector, especially the peak level button. Many of them will read "0" unless the CO level gets above 30, but will show you readings down to 11 if you push the peak level button.

sleepy1235 wrote:There can be really low levels of Carbon monoxide resulting in poisoning that isn't readily realized by people suffering from it.

Which is why the take away point is, if you think you got CO poisoning, get out NOW and don't be

sleepy1235 wrote:...getting a carbon monoxide indicator tomorrow.

because simultaneously, there is loss of judgement, and then you'll forget why it was you thought it was a good idea to get out in the first place.