Reproducibility of intravenous linear pharmacokinetic parameters of ethanol in dogs

Linear elimination parameters were computed after intravenous administration of the same dose (11 mmol/kg) of intravenous ethanol in anesthetized dogs twice with a period of 7-8 days (group A, n = 10) or 6 hours (group B, n = 8) between the two studies. For rate of elimination, clearance and time of disappearance of half the dose, routine statistical methods (paired t-test, correlation) showed no difference between the first and the second study of either group; however, for each of these three elimination parameters, quantitative analysis showed significant disparities between the first and second studies of each group. For Widmark ratio r, which is a measurement of ethanol distribution rather than elimination, both the routine statistical methods and the quantitative analysis showed no difference between the first and second study of either group. In dogs, the assumption that blood alcohol curve is reproducible in individuals may not be valid.