UT Houston Researcher Say Pediatric Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Linked to Video Games after Hurricane Ike
HOUSTON -
(May 26, 2009) - Hours after Hurricane Ike roared ashore in Texas,
more than two million homes were without power, which left some
scrambling to preserve food and others looking for ways to entertain
children, a move that proved to be, in some instances, poisonous.
Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston found that 75 percent of children treated for carbon monoxide
poisoning caused by gasoline-powered electrical generators were
playing video games.
When
interviewed by researchers, families reported using the generators,
which they placed inside the home or an attached garage, to power
televisions and video game systems.
"This was
a new experience for us. We usually have patients arriving in the
emergency department with carbon monoxide poisoning because they
tried to keep food fresh, run a fan or home air conditioner, but not
power electronic gadgets," said Caroline Fife, M.D., associate
professor of medicine at the UT Health Science Center at Houston. "We
were also targeting messages about generator safety to adults. Text
messages were sent out through a cell phone provider with safety
tips. Next time, we are going to have to consider reaching out to
children. Many of them now have their own cell phones."
Of the 37
individuals treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after the storm, 20
were under the age of 20. In nine of those cases, researchers were
able to speak with families to determine why a generator was being
used. In 75 percent of those cases, the generator was used to run
video games. The data are published in the June 1 issue of the
journal of Pediatrics.
All
of the patients were treated at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical
Center, the only hospital in Houston with a hyperbaric oxygen
treatment center that is capable of treating patients with carbon
monoxide poisoning
http://publicaffairs.uth.tmc.edu/media/newsreleases/nr2009/poisoning.htm
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