Carbon monoxide poisoning: nursing priorities and treatment

A man in his mid 30s arrived for admission by ambulance to the psychiatric unit of a private hospital after transfer from a small rural hospital. His voluntary admission was the result of a suicide attempt by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. On arrival the patient was receiving oxygen via nasal prongs at 3 liters per minute, appeared to be extremely distressed, and complained of severe headache. The nurses became extremely concerned after reading the transfer notes--the poisoning incident had occurred 4 hours prior to arrival at the unit. Furthermore, the patient was discovered unconscious and resuscitated by paramedics. The nursing staff immediately notified the supervisor and requested that the medical registrar examine the patient. The psychiatrist was notified of the concerns of the nursing staff. Eventually, after many tests, phone calls and arrangements, the patient was transferred to a large city hospital for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.