Thanks to Halton Housing Trust patients at Alder Hey Hospital are set to benefit from pioneering new technology which doesn’t require a blood test to detect the presence of lethal carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and could save their lives.

Craig Griffith, 12, a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning presented the non-invasive carbon monoxide (CO) monitor to Dr Bimal Mehta at the A&E department at Alder Hey Hospital on 22nd July 2008.

The state-of-the-art Rad 57 monitor, which cost £3,500, simply clamps onto the finger and dramatically reduces the risk of CO poisoning being misdiagnosed as either fatigue or flu-like symptoms.

The lightweight monitor is extremely accurate and can also detect when there are life-threatening levels of carboxyhaemoglobin (Sp CO) in the blood. Hospital staff can use it in any field or hospital setting.

Joining forces with local campaigner Lynn Griffiths during her CO-Awareness week, the Trust promoted the use of the Rad 57. In partnership with Sure Maintenance which carries out gas safety checks on behalf of the Trust, the largest housing provider in the borough of Halton, purchased two of the monitors. The second monitor has been given to Runcorn Hospital.

Nick Atkin, the Chief Executive of Halton Housing Trust, said: “We decided to invest in these monitors because the technology is the best on the market and has the potential to save many lives.
         
“As a housing provider, we recognise how important gas safety is to our customers and in the past we have launched a highly successful campaign to highlight gas safety issues and dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“We are currently doing everything we can to protect our customers and if this monitor saves just one person’s life then of course it will be money well spent.” 

Steve Ryan, Medical Director at Alder Hey Hospital, said: “We are very grateful for the kind donation of this innovative carbon monoxide detector to the Emergency Department at Alder Hey Hospital.
 
“We hope that it will prove beneficial in helping us identify children and young people who are being exposed to levels of carbon monoxide that may have both short and long-term ill effects on their health, but which are preventable if we recognise the problem. The donation of the monitor, and the work we are doing to develop its use in the department, will also serve to raise awareness of this condition, which is key to recognising those that may be affected.
 
“Recognition of carbon monoxide poisoning can be difficult for a number of reasons: you cannot tell by sight, smell or taste that you are being exposed to carbon monoxide and the effects initially may be mistaken for a number of less serious conditions such as simple headache, ‘flu-like illness or stomach upsets. Early recognition will allow early intervention to treat the poisoning and then give advice on identifying and removing the source, and that is what we hope the monitor will help us do.

“It is our hope that better identification of those suffering from poisoning may help us better understand the effects in children and young people and help us to improve their care management in the future.”

The monitors can potentially save lives because once carbon monoxide is detected patients can be immediately transferred to A&E and warned to check their home appliances as a matter of urgency.
          
Paula Campbell, the head of marketing communications at Sure Maintenance, said: “We provide a service to Halton Housing Trust and we were more than happy to help purchase these machines when we learned that nationally around 30 people die every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“The monitors are particularly beneficial to children and the elderly because they are more difficult to educate about the dangers of CO poisoning and blood tests can often be a distressing procedure.”
          
Halton Housing Trust is already leading the way in its mission to raise awareness about CO poisoning and last year launched its own award winning gas safety campaign.

The Trust has also developed strong links with local campaigner Lynn Griffiths who runs the Runcorn-based CO-Awareness campaign to lobby the Government to help eradicate the silent killer.

Lynn’s son 12-year-old son Craig is a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning after being poisoned in the womb before he was ever born. Craig was rushed to Alder Hey as soon as he was born due to complications. Ever since, Craig has continued to be treated at Alder Hey Hospital. For the last three years Lynn, Craig’s mum has tirelessly campaigned to raise awareness.
          
CO-Awareness donated six similar monitors to hospitals throughout the UK during CO-Awareness week 2007. One of the monitors was donated to Warrington Hospital where seven patients were diagnosed with having carbon monoxide poisoning in a single day.

Lynn Griffiths said: “We have already donated six of these monitors across the country and are delighted that Alder Hey is following in the same direction.

“Raising awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning is so important because 45% of the general public don’t even know what symptoms to look out for and medics can misdiagnose it.”
         
Householders are warned to be vigilant as it is impossible to see or taste CO fumes. Symptoms of CO poisoning can include tiredness, drowsiness, headaches and breathlessness.

Each year Halton Housing Trust carries out annual safety checks on all gas appliances. Customers are urged to allow the gas inspectors into their home when they call to ensure they are in possession of a valid gas safety certificate.
        
In the worst situations, CO can kill without warning in just minutes. Even in the absence of obvious signs that a gas appliance is not working properly, it could be emitting CO – so it is important that appliances are regularly checked and serviced by a CORGI-registered engineer.