pulse oximetry

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Ok so I was reading how CO2 can jump onto HgB and make the SP02 appear normal. Would this still manifest as respiratory failure with Increased RR, anxiety, etc? Sorry this may b a dumb question but dont ever remember talking about it in school

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

Remember that increased respirations do not increase CO2. As for CO2 binding to hemoglobin, that I'm not aware of.

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Carboxyhemoglobin is the technical name of it..no RR dont increase CO2 but couldn't it be s compensatory responce to try and blow off excess CO2.

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

okay well those are two different things: CO (carbon monoxide) and CO2. CO does bind to hemoglobin which is its fatal mechanism. Again, I don't know whether that causes false high pulse oximetry but your patient will manifest other obvious symptoms of CO poisoning.

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Yea just looked it up..I get it now...I think I took what I read out of context. .

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Thanks! !!!!

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But what about Carbaminohaemoglobin....

This is interesting

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Your hemoglobin can be 100% saturated with carbon monoxide (CO) and you will asphyxiate. So a sat of 100% is not always a good thing.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

carbaminohemoglobin /car-bam-i-no-he-mo-glo-bin/ (kahr-bam″ĭ-no-he´mo-glo″bin) a combination of carbon dioxide and hemoglobin, CO2HHb, being one of the forms in which carbon dioxide exists in the blood.

So, the same principles apply.....the pulse ox will appear normal because the blood is "saturated" with O2 it just isn't being off loaded properly to the tissues. Shifting the Oxyhemoglobin curve to the left. That is why CO poisoning is dangerous they look "cherry cheeked" not hypoxic...leading to possible misdiagnosis as intoxicated.

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Thankyou

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