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| Title | CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN, BLOOD (CARBON MONOXIDE) |
| Specimen Requirement | <p>One full EDTA (lavender-top) tube of whole blood</p>
<p><strong>*KEEP TUBE CLOSED*</strong></p> |
| Methodology | |
| Stability | Room Temperature: 5 Days; Refrigerated: 10 Days; Frozen: Unacceptable |
| Reference Range | Non-Smoker <2 % of total Hgb Average Smoker 4-5 % of total Hgb Heavy Smoker 8-12 % of total Hgb Potentially Toxic >15 % of total Hgb |
| Turnaround | 3-5 Days |
| Clinical Use | <p>Carbon monoxide is the most common of the gaseous poisons. Malfunctioning or poorly ventilated heating appliances and internal combustion engines are frequent causes of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide combines reversibly with hemoglobin in a manner almost identical to oxygen resulting in a decrease in the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. Accidental poisoning can occur even at low levels (greater than 0.01%) of CO in the atmosphere with prolonged exposure.</p> |
| Test Code | COMQ |
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