THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SMALL,PRE-PACKAGED DISPOSABLE ASSAY KIT FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN (COHG) LEVELS IN BLOOD OF PATIENTS SUSPECTED OF CARBON MONOXIDE INTOXICATION (COI).

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SMALL,PRE-PACKAGED DISPOSABLE ASSAY KIT FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN (COHG) LEVELS IN BLOOD OF PATIENTS SUSPECTED OF CARBON MONOXIDE INTOXICATION (COI). CARBON MONOXIDE, ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND DEADLY GASEOUS POLLUTANTS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR WAY OF LIFE, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF FATALITIES AND INCAPACITATING MORBIDITIES YEARLY. PATIENT TREATMENT FOR COI IS USUALLY BASED ON THE LEVEL OF COHB. FOR THIS REASON, A RAPID MEANS TO MEASURE BLOOD COHB LEVELS IN PATIENTS SUSPECTED OF SUSTAINING COI WOULD PROVIDE IMMEDIATELY INFORMATION CRITICALLY NEEDED FOR THE PATIENTS' IMMEDIATE TREATMENT AND MEDICAL PROGNOSIS. SUCH A DEVICE OR SYSTEM SHOULD REQUIRE NO TRAINING AND BE OPERABLE BY INDIVIDUALS WHO FIRST RESPONDTO MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH A DEVICE WILL PROCEED ALONG THE ESTABLISHED PRINCIPLES OF ANALYSIS DEVELOPED BY SCHOLANDER & COLLEAGUES FOR MEASURING BLOOD GASES INCLUDING CO IN SMALL SAMPLES OF BLOOD. SEVERAL MECHANICAL APPROACHES WILL BE EXPLORED TO DEVELOP OPTIMAL SYSTEM WHICH SHOULD HAVE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SIMPLE OPERATION, RELIABILITY, MAXIMUM ACCURACY, MAXIMUM SHELF-LIFEAND EASE OF MANUFACTURING. THIS STUDY WILL EXPLORE ALL THOSE ALTERNATIVES NECESSARY TO DEVELOP A COMPACT PORTABLE DEVICE WHICH WOULD BE SIMPLE TO OPERATE. SINCE THE BASIC ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY FOR SUCH REACTIONS HAVE LONG BEEN KNOWNIT SEEMS THAT SUCH A SIMPLE "SHELF-PACK" CAN BE DEVELOPED RATHER QUICKLY. THIS WOULD LEAD TO MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE SCREENING OF COI PATIENTS AND MEASUREABLY IMPROVE THE FATALITY AND MORBIDITY STATISTICS.