Blood versus bone marrow ethanol concentrations in rabbits and humans

Post-mortem ethanol levels in bone marrow and heart blood were determined in rabbits and humans. The average ratio of blood/femur marrow ethanol in 39 rabbits was 2.10 +/- 0.23 with a range of 1.27 - 3.50. In 18 human autopsy cases the average ratio of blood/rib marrow ethanol levels was 2.16 +/- 0.32 with a range of 1.65 - 2.94. The average blood/marrow ratios in humans and rabbits were comparable. However, a wider range of ratios was noticed in the rabbit study.