[Oxygen treatment and cigarette smoking. A potentially fatal combination]

The case of a 60 year old male, who died while smoking in bed during oxygen therapy, is presented. The patient suffered from chronic airway obstruction and emphysema with respiratory insufficiency and he died from carbon monoxide poisoning, after the bed linen and the oxygen cylinder were ignited. Domiciliary oxygen therapy should not be prescribed to patients, who do not give up smoking.