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19
piCO
+
Operating Manual
English
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Frequently asked questions about breath carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring in smoking
cessation
LED Colour Description User profile 1: User profile 2:
Adult (ppm) Adolescent (ppm)
Green Non smoker 0-6 0-4
Yellow Danger zone 7-10 5-6
1 Red Smoker 11-15 7-10
2 Reds Frequent smoker 16-25 11-15
3 Reds Addicted smoker 26-35 16-25
4 Reds Heavily addicted smoker 36-50 26-35
4 Reds flashing Dangerously addicted smoker 51+ 36+
Q What is carbon monoxide?
A
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous
gas that you cannot smell or see. When
a smoker inhales smoke from a cigarette,
CO is absorbed into their blood through
their lungs. CO is dangerous because
it binds to haemoglobin in red blood
cells about 200 times more readily
than oxygen, depriving the body of
vital oxygen.
Q What does a breath CO test show?
A
It shows the amount of carbon monoxide
in a person’s breath (ppm CO), which is
a measure of blood carboxyhaemoglobin
(%COHb). It also acts as an indicator of
the possible level of around 4,000 toxic
substances in cigarette smoke, 60 of
which can cause cancer.
Q What does ppm and COHb mean?
A
Parts per million; in this case, one part
of CO in one million parts of air (breath).
This might not seem like very much, but
ppm has a direct correlation with %COHb
(the percentage of CO combined with
haemoglobin in the blood).
Q How quickly does CO disappear from the
body when a person stops smoking?
A It takes about 5-6 hours to reduce the
original level by half. Usually, after a
maximum period of 48 hours, an ex-
smoker will have the same level of CO as
a non-smoker in the same environment.
Q How long after having a cigarette
should the test be conducted?
A After a minimum of 10 minutes.
Q What level of breath CO do you expect
to see?
A Clinical research has shown that the
popular guidelines are:
Q When is the best time to take a CO
reading?
A
The best time to take a CO reading is as
late as possible in the day.
If a patient gives a reading of 20ppm (that
of a frequent adult smoker), it means that
their oxygen carrying capacity is reduced
by 5%. It also indicates a high level of
addiction to nicotine.