Carbon dioxide (CO2) narcosis refers to the condition in which the CO2 level in the blood is high. It’s formally called hypercapnia.
Common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Confusion, or an inability to concentrate/think clearly
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath or elevated respiratory rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Muscle twitches
- Panic
Treatment
The key to treatment of CO2 narcosis is to restore ventilation so that excess CO2 could go out of the body. So, the methods are:
- noninvasive ventilation;
- intubation and mechanical ventilation.
Keywords: CO2 narcosis; hypercapnia; carbon dioxide (CO2) narcosis.
