OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidence of rhabdomyolysis, the relationship between striated muscular injury and myocardiac injury, and the role of elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) played in screening these two complications following acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACOP).

METHODS280 patients with ACOP from January 2001 to April 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the clinical manifestations of striated muscular injury (swelling, pain or serious myasthenia), the patients were divided into two groups: the evident injury group and non-evident injury group.

RESULTSThe abnormality rate of electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiac troponin I (CTnI) in the evident injury group (43 patients) were significantly higher than in the non-evident injury group (73.8% vs 43.4%, P < 0.001; 77.8% vs 20.9%, P < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between peak CK and MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) in both groups, respectively (r = 0.819, r = 0.795, P < 0.01). There was no correlation in the evident injury group (P > 0.05) and only negative correlation in the non-evident injury group (r = -0.298, P < 0.01) between peak CK and MB ratio (CK-MB/CK). Multiple regression analysis indicated that peak CK and CK-MB were only related with the striated muscular injury and were not affected by the indexes of the myocardial injury (ECG and CTnI); Both peak CK and CK-MB were positively correlated with the coma time before consultation in the non-evident injury group and the latter was also affected by CTnI. The incidence of positive muscular injury symptoms increased with the elevation of CK activity. There was no significant difference either in the ECG abnormality rate between the < 5 times elevated CK level subgroup and the > 5 times elevated CK level subgroup (P > 0.05), or in the CTnI positive rate between the normal CK level subgroup and the < 5 times elevated CK level subgroup (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONStriated muscular injury is not a rare complication of ACOP, and always accompanied by myocardial injury. The strikingly elevated serum level of CK in patients with ACOP might be more likely to indicate the striated muscle not myocardiac injury.