Two parents and their seven children arrived at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem after reporting unusual symptoms of dizziness, headaches, nausea, and vomiting during the Rosh Hashanah holiday.
"The parents arrived with their children, reporting unusual symptoms with an unknown cause," recalled Dr. David Rechtman, Head of the Pediatric Emergency Department at the medical center's Mount Scopus campus.
"Dr. Talia Dor-Wolman, a senior neurologist and head of the Pediatric Neurological Diseases Service, examined the symptoms and suspected that the symptoms may have been caused by a type of poisoning. After tests were conducted, high levels of carbon monoxide were found in the family’s blood, leading to the carbon monoxide poisoning diagnosis.”
Carbon monoxide exposure can harm nervous system
“Carbon monoxide is a very toxic gas, which can become dangerously concentrated in enclosed spaces with low oxygen levels. In extreme cases, exposure to carbon monoxide can harm the central nervous system, causing death or irreversible developmental damage. Since the gas is colorless and odorless, its presence in the home is often not detected until physical symptoms appear," explained Dr. Rechtman.
After an investigation conducted by fire and rescue teams, it was discovered that the family was exposed to the toxic gas from a generator attached to their home that was releasing carbon monoxide into the air inside.
The family members, all of whom were conscious, were treated in the emergency room in Mount Scopus and were later evacuated by ambulance for treatment in the hyperbaric chamber at the Ein Kerem campus of Hadassah-University Medical Center.
Dr. Eyal Avraham, a vascular surgeon and head of the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit at Hadassah, explained that the hyperbaric chamber is a highly effective treatment for those suffering from carbon monoxide exposure and improves their condition on several levels.
"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the main treatments for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. In a hyperbaric chamber, the patient inhales pure oxygen at higher than atmospheric pressure," he said. "This process rapidly filters CO from the blood, oxygen is efficiently delivered to tissues affected by the oxygen shortage, and the risk of neurological damage, one of the dangers of carbon monoxide inhalation, is reduced."
Following treatment, all nine were released to their home on Thursday.