Page 23 - InsideOut Magazine

Exposure to carbon monoxide, an odorless and colorless
gas, causes more than 15,000 emergency room visits, 5,000 neurologic injuries and up to 500 deaths in the U.S. each year, and is the number one cause of lethal poisoning worldwide.
Antidote Developed for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
A young naval doctor developed
an injectable antidote for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning that
will be available for human trial within the next three years. U.S. Navy Lieutenant Joseph Roderique, M.D.,
earned “Best Young Investigator” for his research, Cure for the Silent Killer: An Injectable Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, at the 2014 Military Health Research Symposium, a premier scientific meeting of the U.S. Department of Defense that attracts research-
ers and physicians from more than 10 countries worldwide.
Now a surgery resident with
the U.S. Navy Medical Corps in San Diego, California, Roderique began researching the antidote while a stu- dent at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. After developing a unique form of reduced vitamin B-12, Roderique and his re- search team demonstrated in multiple levels of experimentation that it could be an effective treatment for experi- mental carbon monoxide poisoning.
Both civilian and military victims of carbon monoxide poisoning will benefit from Roderique’s antidote. Roderique believes emergency per- sonnel, such as EMTs and firefight- ers, as well as combat medics could administer the medication at the trauma scene and within seconds to minutes, the victim’s condition will dramatically improve. In addition, the same medication could be used to increase blood pressure in cases of hemorrhagic or septic shock, as well as cyanide and smoke inhala- tion injuries.
Exposure to carbon monoxide, an odorless and colorless gas, causes more than 15,000 emergency room visits, 5,000 neurologic injuries and up to 500 deaths in the U.S. each year, and is the number one cause of lethal poisoning worldwide. Only two therapies are available: atmospheric pressure oxygen and hyperbaric oxygen. Currently, no low-cost, nontoxic and easily administered antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning exists.
Source: Virginia Commonwealth University News, Snuffing Out the Silent Killer, November 12, 2014, accessed December 2014 News.vcu.edu.
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