ABSTRACT
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning causes symptoms that range from headache, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness to loss of consciousness, pulmonary and cardiac failure, and even death. Since the milder symptoms of CO poisoning are nonspecific, patients may be misdiagnosed with conditions such as viral illness, food poisoning, or motion sickness, depending upon the circumstances of the exposure. Diagnosis of CO poisoning requires both clinical awareness and biological confirmation of exposure.
