carboxyhemoglobin

2 9.1

A substance in blood formed when the oxygen-carrying protein joins carbon monoxide and blocks oxygen delivery

noun
/kɑrˌbɑk.siˈhiː.məˌɡloʊ.bɪn/

Specialized

: carboxihemoglobina

When carbon monoxide is inhaled, it forms carboxyhemoglobin, preventing the blood from carrying oxygen effectively.
carboxyhemoglobin levels
ABG with carboxyhemoglobin

Examples

First off, he came back negative for carboxyhemoglobin.

Fantasm (1976)
At that level, the players may well have had carboxyhemoglobin levels of 10 percent, high enough to produce clinical symptoms.

Academic text (1993)
Doctors can measure carboxyhemoglobin levels to assess the severity of carbon monoxide poisoning.
A high concentration of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood can lead to symptoms such as headache and dizziness.

Synonyms

methemoglobin

vscarboxyhemoglobin

Specialized

1 9.9

A part of blood that cannot carry oxygen well because its iron is changed

forms when a molecule binds to hemoglobin and blocks oxygen transport

Surface Forms

carboxyhemoglobin singular

carboxyhemoglobins plural

Morphology

carboxyhemoglobin = hemoglobin (semi-transparent) = carboxy + hemoglobin

The prefix 'carboxy-' is a specialized combining form indicating binding with carbon monoxide, so learners who know 'hemoglobin' may not infer the specific CO-binding meaning without biomedical knowledge.

Etymology

Carboxyhemoglobin breaks into carboxy- ('carbon', as in 'carbon monoxide') and hemoglobin ('blood protein that carries oxygen'), so the name means hemoglobin with carbon attached. So carboxyhemoglobin cannot carry oxygen well, which is why it is central to carbon monoxide poisoning.