Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on causes for the development of carbon monoxide intoxications.

Introduction: Several causes can lead to carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication. A first-line treatment option for such intoxications is hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO2) therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic has been changing everyday life in Germany since March 2020, mainly caused by statutory provisions. Our aim was to review whether these changes have an influence on the causes and frequency for the development of CO intoxication.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who were treated for CO intoxication in our institution between April 2019 and March 2021. Besides demographic data, we compared the overall number and documented causes for each CO intoxication in the period of April 2020 to March 2021 with the period between April 2019 and March 2020.

Results: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 139 patients were included. We found a significant decrease in the overall number of patients who needed treatment since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the share of CO intoxication caused by the indoor use of coal stoves, coal barbecue, or suicide attempts increased. In contrast, the share of cases caused by apartment or house fire, smoking waterpipe, or gas stoves decreased.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions lead to a significant reduction in the number of patients in need for HBO2 therapy due to CO-Intoxication. The causes leading to CO intoxication also changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed a shift toward causes related to the indoor use of coal-fired stoves and barbecues as well as suicide attempts.