Biologically Active Substance
carboxyhemoglobin Audio
car·box·y·he·mo·glo·bin
Subclass of:
Hemoglobin
Definitions related to carboxyhemoglobin:
  • Hemoglobin in which the sites usually bound to oxygen are bound to carbon monoxide.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Hemoglobin where the heme group has formed a stable complex with carbon monoxide (CO). This complex is produced after CO has been inhaled or as a byproduct of hemoglobin, protoporphyrin or dichloromethane catabolism. The heme-CO complex is approximately 200 times more stable than heme-oxygen complexes. Thus, high levels of carboxyhemoglobin in the circulation can lead to tissue hypoxia and death.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) is a stable complex of carbon monoxide that forms in red blood cells when carbon monoxide is inhaled. COHb should be measured if carbon monoxide or methylene chloride poisoning is suspected.
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2025
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