A mother who was rushed to hospital after her children found her and her husband unconscious from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning remains in an induced coma nine days later.
The couple were found unconscious and unresponsive in the bedroom of their home in Westminster, north Perth, on June 25 by their teenage children.
At least five ambulances attended the home, where the woman in her 40s and the man in his 50s were treated by paramedics, including an intensive care team.
Nine days after the incident, the woman is still fighting for her life in the intensive care unit of the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
Her husband has been released from the hospital.
It was believed that charcoal was burning in an unventilated bedroom where the couple slept and tried to keep warm.
It is believed that the family only recently moved into the house.
Luke Miles, acting district chief of fire and emergency services, said the pair had been exposed to possible carbon monoxide poisoning “over a prolonged period of time”.
The couple were discovered by their teenage children who called 000 three times (pictured are emergency services on the scene)
The mother, in her 40s, is still in intensive care, but her husband has been discharged from hospital (pictured are emergency workers on the scene)
“They used (the charcoal) as a heat source in the bedroom … where both victims were,” he told reporters.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) District Officer John Manocchio said the couple’s children were able to save their parents thanks to their quick actions, the report said. PerthNow.
“It’s tragic, but it’s also a testament to the actions of those children to alert authorities and ventilate the house,” he said.
‘When the fire department arrived with detectors, they found no carbon monoxide in the house because the house was so well ventilated.’
Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause a range of symptoms including headache, nausea and vomiting. Exposure to very high concentrations can cause unconsciousness, seizures and death.
The incident is an important warning for Australians to be aware of carbon monoxide this winter and only use suitable indoor heating.
It is believed the couple had been burning charcoal in their unventilated bedroom to keep warm. The scene is shown in the photo
“The important safety message here is of course that when burning any material in an enclosed space, make sure the space is well ventilated,” Mr Miles said.
Recently, there have been further cases of people being exposed to carbon monoxide when trying to heat their homes with an unsuitable heat source and due to lack of ventilation.
Four people, including a child, were taken to hospital on June 29 after a family of five used an outdoor barbecue to heat their apartment in Wentworthville in Sydney’s west.
The firefighters present say that the CO [carbon monoxide] Levels in the unit were more than four times the hazardous limit,” Fire and Rescue NSW said in a statement.
Jason Armstrong, clinical toxicologist at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, said 7NEWS Carbon monoxide ‘slowly builds up in the body’ and eventually deprives a person’s cells of oxygen.
Mr. Armstrong advised that if anyone suspects someone has been exposed to carbon monoxide, they should immediately drag that person outside.
“The priority is to get them into fresh air as quickly as possible, give them extra oxygen and get them to a medical facility,” he said.