Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to investigate the effect of early intervention on the short-term prognosis of patients with myocardial injury induced by acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACOP). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 139 patients admitted to the hospital for ACOP-induced acute toxic cardiopathy. Compared with the mild and moderate toxic cardiopathy group, the severe toxic cardiopathy group has significantly increased coma time, acute physiology and chronic health status (APACHE) II score, and the length of hospital stay and significantly reduced proportion of patients with immediate endotracheal intubation and early admission to intensive care unit (ICU) (all P < 0.05). The cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels and corrected QT dispersion (QTcd) duration in three patient groups were significantly higher (all P < 0.05) than those in the control group, with the highest in the severely toxic heart disease group. Serum cTnI level and QTcd duration were two independent predictors of myocardial injury in ACOP patients. There was a positive correlation between the APACHE II score and serum cTnI level/QTcd duration at admission. The sensitivities of cTnI and QTcd at admission to diagnose serious cardiovascular events were 78.6% and 85.7%, respectively, and the specificities were both 75%. CONCLUSIONS: Acute carbon monoxide poisoning patients with myocardial injury need to be admitted to the hospital as early as possible. For patients with severe hypoxia, an artificial airway should be established as early as possible, and patients should be admitted to the monitoring ward to stabilize their condition at the early stage of poisoning. Meanwhile, changes in QTcd, serum cTnI, and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) should be closely observed.