Carbon monoxide, amnesia and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

A case of carbon monoxide poisoning, initially misdiagnosed as conversion disorder, is presented. Cognitive deficits demonstrated at the time of psychiatric assessment were successfully reversed by hyperbaric oxygen therapy despite the 1 week delay. The clinical manifestations of carbon monoxide poisoning and the rationale for and timing of hyperbaric oxygen therapy are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the need for a high index of suspicion for carbon monoxide poisoning in the clinical situation of profound memory disturbance.