3
piCO
+
Operating Manual
English
Intended Use
The piCO
+
Smokerlyzer
®
is a breath carbon
monoxide monitor intended for multi-patient
use by healthcare professionals in smoking
cessation programmes and research.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic,
odourless, colourless, tasteless gas formed
by incomplete combustion of organic
material at high temperatures with an
insufficient oxygen supply.
When inhaled, CO competes successfully
with oxygen in the bloodstream to form
carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb). This starves
body tissues of the oxygen they need to
function and repair themselves in day-to-
day life. CO can remain in the bloodstream
for up to 24 hours, depending on a range
of factors including physical activity, gender
and inhalation intensity. The half life is
about 5 hours.
Correlation of CO (ppm) and
carboxyhaemoglobin (%COHb)
Breath carbon monoxide is measured
in parts per million (ppm CO) and blood
carboxyhaemoglobin in percentages
(%COHb). The two are compatible and
convertible, and the piCO
+
Smokerlyzer
®
displays both measurements. Clinical
research has shown that a useful
relationship between carbon monoxide and
carboxyhaemoglobin can be identified after
a short period of a person holding their
breath. CO readings demonstrate the level
of poisonous inhaled CO, while the COHb
reading shows the percentage of oxygen
that has been replaced in the bloodstream.
The cut-off point between smoker and
non-smoker is regarded as 6ppm CO. The
piCO
+
Smokerlyzer
®
identifies a non-smoker
as 0-6ppm, a low-dependence smoker as
7-15ppm, and strongly addicted smokers as
over 15ppm.
The piCO
+
Smokerlyzer
®
has been designed
so that it can also be used with young
smokers. As their smoking habits and views
are generally different from adult smokers,
the ranges can be altered to 0-4ppm for a
non-smoker, 5-6ppm a light smoker and
7ppm+ a more frequent smoker.
Other cut-off points can be adopted as
well as smoking classification at higher
CO levels. The piCO
+
has a third profile
which can be set by the user with COdata
+
software for complete flexibility to suit most
circumstances.
Introduction
