A New Approach for the Carbon Monoxide ( CO ) Exposure Diagnosis: Measurement of Total CO in Human Blood Versus Carboxyhemoglobin (Hb CO )

The aim of the study is to present the application of a headspace–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry ( HS ‐ GC ‐ MS ) method for the determination of the carbon monoxide ( CO ) blood concentration and to compare it with carboxyhemoglobin ( HbCO ) saturation. In postmortem cases, the HbCO measured by spectrophotometry frequently leads to inaccurate results due to inadequate samples or analyses. The true role of CO intoxication in the death of a person could be misclassified. The estimation of HbCO from HS‐GC‐MS CO measurements provides helpful information by determining the total CO levels ( CO linked to hemoglobin ( HbCO ) and CO dissociated from hemoglobin). The CO concentrations were converted in HbCO saturation levels to define cutoff blood CO values. CO limits were defined as less than 1 μmol/mL for living persons, less than 1.5 μmol/mL for dead persons without CO exposure, and greater than 3 μmol/mL for dead persons with clear CO poisoning.