Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Histological Analyses of Acute Alcoholic Liver Injury in Zebrafish
Published on: May 25, 2017
Toxic alcohol ingestion: prompt recognition and management in the emergency department [digest]
Gillian A Beauchamp1, Matthew Valento2, Jeremy Kim3
1Adjunct Instructor, Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Emergency Medicine; Toxicology Fellow, Oregon and Alaska Poison Centers, Portland, OR.
Abstract:
Identifying patients with potential toxic alcohol exposure and initiating appropriate management is critical to avoid significant patient morbidity. Sources of toxic alcohol exposure include ethylene glycol, methanol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and isopropanol. Treatment considerations include the antidotes fomepizole and ethanol, and hemodialysis for removal of the parent compound and its toxic metabolites. Additional interventions include adjunctive therapies that may improve acidosis and enhance clearance of the toxic alcohol or metabolites. This issue reviews common sources of alcohol exposure, basic mechanisms of toxicity, physical examination and laboratory findings that may guide rapid assessment and management, and indications for treatment. [Points & Pearls is a digest of Emergency Medicine Practice].
Related Concept Videos
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Drug Toxicity: Overview
Toxidromes: Clinical Features
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Treatment Strategies

