The victims, aged seven, seven, nine, and fourteen, were found unconscious and experiencing seizures in Ikwo Local Government Area after a generator, placed close to their room, emitted poisonous fumes. They were rushed to the hospital in the early hours of Friday at about 12:45 a.m.
Upon arrival, the A&E team immediately initiated emergency resuscitation and stabilisation in line with the hospital’s Golden Minute and Golden Hour principles for trauma and critical care. Rapid assessment and timely intervention restored vital functions and prevented further deterioration of the children’s conditions.
The children were then transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for advanced care. They were promptly intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation with high-flow oxygen for over 24 hours, reducing the half-life of carbon monoxide in their bloodstream.
Dr. Promise Ubanatu, Head of the ICU, explained that prolonged oxygen therapy significantly reduced the amount of carbon monoxide bound to haemoglobin, improving oxygen delivery to vital organs and enhancing survival chances. “Carbon monoxide inhalation is a silent and dangerous process that can quickly lead to unconsciousness and death,” Dr. Ubanatu said.
The Chief Medical Director of AEFUTHA, Professor Robinson Onoh, commended the A&E and ICU teams for their professionalism and swift response.
“Three of the four children have been stabilised and discharged. This is one of many improvements happening at the A&E, where waiting times have been drastically reduced, and patients receive treatment within 30 minutes of arrival,” he added.
Dr. Donatus Egwu, Head of the Anaesthesia Department, advised the public to always use fuel-burning appliances in well-ventilated areas.
He warned that generators, camping stoves, automobiles, cigarette smoke, and burning charcoal indoors can produce carbon monoxide, posing serious health risks.
He urged households to prioritise ventilation to prevent exposure, stressing that CO is produced when carbon-based fuels burn incompletely, depriving tissues of oxygen and potentially causing fatal outcomes.
The incident underscored the importance of hospital preparedness and public awareness in preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, especially in residential environments.
