BENGALURU: A 14-year-old girl fell unconscious and had to be hospitalised due to exposure to toxic gas that leaked from the LPG gas geyser when she was having a bath. The incident occurred on January 11.
When Akriti (name changed) spent an unusually long time in the bathroom, her parents knocked at the door, and when there was no response, they broke open the door and found her unconscious.
When she was taken to Columbia Asia Hospital, she was convulsing. “We thought that the fits could be due to a seizure disorder or an intracranial or cardiac pathology,” said Dr Senthil Kumar SP, consultant paediatric, Columbia Asia Hospital, Whitefield.
“But after we did a blood gas analysis, we found that there was a very high content of carbon monoxide in her blood. Her parents told us they used a LPG gas geyser,” he added.
LPG geysers contain butane and propane, which produce carbon dioxide and water on combustion. But when there is a lack of oxygen, combustion produces carbon monoxide, which is toxic.
“We started treatment immediately, and thereby avoided significant hypoxic injury in the brain (lack of oxygen) which could otherwise have resulted in long-term neurological disability,” Dr Kumar said. Akriti was discharged a day later and is recovering.
What to do if you suspect gas poisoning