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Rapid quantitative determination of blood alcohol concentration in the emergency department using an electrochemical
P M Wax1, R S Hoffman, L R Goldfrank
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York City.
Study Objective:
To determine the reliability of a recently developed electrochemical meter to rapidly (within 60 seconds) measure blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in the emergency department.
Design:
A prospective study comparing the meter data with that of immunoassay and gas chromatography criterion standards undertaken during a ten-week period.
Setting:
Adult ED of a municipal hospital.
Participants:
Three hundred eighty-three consecutive patients with altered mental status or suspected alcohol intoxication.
Interventions:
Each patient underwent routine phlebotomy, and blood samples were obtained for meter and immunoassay BAC determinations. The first 60% of patients also underwent gas chromatography BAC determination.
Results:
Two hundred nineteen patients (60%) had BAC detectable by both meter and immunoassay. BAC measurement by the meter correlated strongly with immunoassay and gas chromatography determinations (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = .94; P less than .00000001 for both correlations).
Conclusion:
The electrochemical meter provides a rapid and reliable BAC measurement in the ED.