On the afternoon of February 11, Jiangsu TV’s Litchi News reported on our hospital’s briefing about carbon monoxide poisoning. Below is the report from Jiangsu TV’s Litchi News:

Carbon monoxide poisoning is particularly common in winter. For the treatment of acute carbon monoxide poisoning, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the primary approach, with the greatest efficacy when administered within six hours of onset. It is essential to follow medical instructions and complete the prescribed course of treatment consistently; otherwise, symptoms such as dementia and cognitive impairment may recur. In medicine, this phenomenon is known as delayed encephalopathy.

Earlier this year, Mr. Hu caught a cold and developed a cough. After seeing an online remedy—“charcoal-roasted oranges for treating colds”—he tried it in his dormitory, only to suffer carbon monoxide poisoning. Following emergency treatment, he felt well enough to return home for rest as the Lunar New Year approached, but soon relapsed. His family rushed him back to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with “delayed encephalopathy.” At present, Mr. Hu remains hospitalized for further treatment.

Wang Xia, director of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center at Nanjing Zijin Hospital, explained that since the onset of winter, they have treated numerous patients with carbon monoxide poisoning, several of whom developed delayed encephalopathy—symptoms that bear a resemblance to those of Alzheimer’s disease. Typically, after carbon monoxide poisoning, there is an apparent period of recovery lasting anywhere from 2 to 60 days; during this interval, many patients experience memory impairment, cognitive decline, and motor dysfunction.

According to the physician, some patients with carbon monoxide poisoning, after experiencing symptom improvement following hyperbaric oxygen therapy, may choose not to continue with further treatment—this is actually very dangerous. If delayed encephalopathy develops, severe cases can even result in complete dependence on others for daily living. Typically, we recommend at least around 20 sessions for mild cases; for those who were unconscious for an extended period, treatment may need to last one to two months or longer, followed by regular follow-up EEGs.

(Litchi News Center / Tang Anji, Editor / Guo Jingjing)

Original article link: https://m.jstv.com/news/2025/2/11/1338922291041001472.html?curchannel=Local