Carbon Monoxide, Blood

Primary unit: %
LOINC codes: 20563-3
Tests that measure Carbon Monoxide, Blood: Labcorp 1, Quest Diagnostics 1

Ranges

Each lab publishes a reference range for the population groups it tests, usually the middle 95% of results. These intervals describe that population, not an optimal or healthy target. How ranges differ

Quest Diagnostics, Carboxyhemoglobin, Blood 309

Population	Interval
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

Quest Diagnostics test catalog, 309

Tests

Check the catalog code, specimen, method and preparation for every test that measures Carbon Monoxide, Blood. Select up to five tests to compare them side by side.

Labcorp 1 test

Single-analyte tests

Carbon Monoxide, Whole Blood 007187
Blood · Fasting not stated · Turnaround 2 - 5 days
Method and collection
Method
Co-oximetry
Preparation
A morning specimen is not as good as one that is drawn in the late afternoon or evening, especially if the patient is an outpatient who may have occupational exposure (ie, policemen, firemen on day shifts, mechanics). CO tends to be cleared from the blood in hours. Treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning involves removal of the individual from the contaminated area and the administration of oxygen. The half-life of carboxyhemoglobin is five to six hours when the patient breathes room air; it is reduced to 1 to 11/2 hours when the patient breathes 100% oxygen. In severe cases, hyperbaric oxygen treatment at two to three atmospheres is recommended, if available. In the latter instance, the carboxyhemoglobin half-life is reduced to approximately 25 minutes. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may reduce the incidence of neurological manifestations after exposure. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been recommended when the carboxyhemoglobin concentration exceeds 25%. Some have cautioned against basing decisions to institute hyperbaric oxygenation solely on the carboxyhemoglobin concentration owing to the inconsistent correlation between such a measurement and clinical severity.
Collection
Sampling time is end of shift for industrial exposure monitoring. Analytes with timing “end of shift” (meaning the last two hours of exposure) are eliminated rapidly with a half-life less than five hours. Such compounds do not accumulate in the body and, therefore, their timing is critical only in relation to the exposure period.
Reference notes
• Environmental exposure: Nonsmoker: <2.0%, smoker: <9.0% • Occupational exposure: BEI®: 3.5%1
Labcorp catalog page

Quest Diagnostics 1 test

Single-analyte tests

Carboxyhemoglobin, Blood 309
Blood · Fasting not stated · Turnaround Set up: Daily; Report available: 3 days
Method and collection
Method
Spectrophotometry (SP)
Collection
Keep tube closed
Quest Diagnostics catalog page

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Sources

Labcorp test catalog
1 test: codes, specimens, methods, preparation and reference intervals.
Quest Diagnostics test catalog
1 test: codes, specimens, methods, preparation and reference intervals.
LOINC 20563-3
Regenstrief Institute codes that identify the same result across labs.
Search ClinicalTrials.gov for Carbon Monoxide, Blood
Registered studies that measure Carbon Monoxide, Blood, on the U.S. National Library of Medicine registry.

Verify these ranges and sources

We compile this page from named laboratory catalogs, guidelines and studies. Labs calculate reference intervals from the people they test, for one assay method and one population group, so an interval describes that population rather than an optimal target.

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