Urine ethyl alcohol level

Microdetermination of Blood and Urine Ethyl Alcohol Levels by Gas Chromatography and Its Medico-Legal Application... 

A 45-year-old male with history of hepatitis C and now cirrhosis of the liver is bronght to the emergency center by family members for acute mental status changes. The family reports that the patient has been very disoriented and confused over the last few days and has been nauseated and vomiting blood. The family first noticed disturbances in his sleep pattern followed by alterations in his personality and mood. On examination, he is disoriented with evidence of icteric sclera. His abdomen is distended with a fluid wave appreciated. He has asterixis and hyperreflexia on neurologic exam. His urine drug screen and ethyl alcohol (EtOH) screen are both negative. A blood ammonia level was noted to be elevated, and all other tests have been normal. 

Clinical samples of urine, blood, expired air, and tissue have been examined using headspace sampling approaches. Thus, chlorinated organic compounds, methanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and phenols have been determined in urine. Volatile substances in urine have also been used as a guide to acute poisoning, and the determination of stimulants in urine has been proposed as screening test for field use. The determination of the concentration of blood alcohol is the most well-known application of headspace techniques to biological samples. Blood has also been examined for cyanide, methyl sulfide, and formaldehyde levels, the last as a measure of methanol intoxication. The headspace approach for blood samples overcomes the difficulties associated with the alternative direct injection of two-phase samples. 

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