Residential carbon monoxide poisoning from motor vehicles

Abstract Context Although morbidity and mortality from accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are high in the United States, identification of common but poorly recognized sources should help prevention efforts. Objective The study aimed to describe CO poisoning of home occupants due to a vehicle left running in an attached garage. Design News stories reporting incidents of US CO poisoning were collected daily from March 2007 to September 2009 via a news.Google.com search and data extracted. Patients Patients were individuals reported in the media to have been poisoned with CO in their home by a vehicle running in the attached garage. Main Outcome Measures Main outcome measures were frequency of occurrence, geographic distribution, patient demographics, and mortality. Results Of 837 CO poisoning incidents reported in US news media over 2 and a half years, 59 (8%) were the result of a vehicle left running in the garage. The elderly were disproportionately affected, with incidents most common in states with larger elderly populations and 29% of cases with age specified occurring in individuals older than 80 years. Among those older than 80 years, 15 of 17 were found dead at the scene. Conclusions Residential CO poisoning from a vehicle running in the garage is common, disproportionately affects the elderly, has a high mortality rate, and should be preventable with a residential CO alarm.