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Updated: Aug 8, 2025

Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department
Published on: January 29, 2011
Spatial and temporal trends and risk factors for intentional carbon monoxide poisoning hospitalizations in England
Aina Roca-Barceló1, Helen Crabbe2, Rebecca Close2
1Small Area Health Statistics Unit, Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Introduction:
Suicide and mental health disorders are a recognized increasing public concern. Most suicide prevention rely on evidence from mortality data, although suicide attempts are a better predictor for completed suicides. Understanding spatio-temporal patterns and demographic profiles of people at risk can improve suicide prevention schemes, including for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, a common method for gas-related suicides.
Objective:
Describe spatio-temporal patterns of intentional CO poisoning hospitalization rates in England between 2002 and 2016, and identify population sub-groups at risk.
Methods:
We used NHS Digital's Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) routinely collected data on hospital admissions for intentional CO poisoning. We estimated age-standardised rates (ASR) by year, gender and residential small-area characteristics, including rural/urban, deprivation and ethnic composition. Temporal trends were assessed through linear regression and joinpoint regression analysis. Regional differences were explored.
Results:
On average, we identified 178 hospital admissions for intentional CO poisoning per year. The ASR decreased substantially over the study period, particularly among males (average annual percent change of -7.8 % (95 % CI: -11.0; -4.6)), in comparison to 3.9 % (95%CI, -6.4; -1.4) among females. Most admissions (81 %) occurred in males. White men aged 35-44 years were particularly at risk. The ASR in London (0.08/100,000) was almost six times lower than in the South-West (0.47/100,000).
Conclusions:
This study provides novel insights into attempted suicides by intentional CO poisoning. Further prevention interventions, targeting sub-groups at risk (i.e. white men in their 30s/40s), need to be developed and implemented to reduce the burden of suicides and of CO poisoning.
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