BREATH ALCOHOL VERSUS BLOOD-ALCOHOL - 204 CASES IN AN EMERGENCY UNIT

Objectives: Twenty to forty percent of all patients admitted to the em ergency ward are positive for blood alcohol, Devices which measure alc ohol in expired breath have been increasingly used in these units, Thi s study was conducted to compare the results of breath alcohol analyze rs with the classical laboratory methods based on enzyme assay and gas phase chromatography. Methods: All patients with suspected acute etha nol intoxication at admission to the emergency room were included if b lood alcohol had been ordered (enzyme assay and gas phase chromatograp hy). Results: There were 204 patients (151 men (74%) and 53 women (26% ); mean age 43 +/- 12.7 years, range 14-80), The coefficient of correl ation between blood alcohol level determined by gas phase chromatograp hy (GC) and breath alcohol was 0.96 (r(2) = 0.92, p < 10(-4)). The coe fficient of correlation between breath alcohol and blood alcohol level determined by enzyme assay was 0.96 (r(2) = 0.92, p < 10(-4)). Compar ing the coefficients of correlation GC/blood (r(2) = 0.92) versus GC/e nzyme assay (r(2) = 0.96) demonstrated a statistically significant dif ference (p < 10)). Conclusion: In our 204 patients, the breath alcohol analyzer gave 3 false positives and 3 false negatives (2.94%). Even t hough breath alcohol levels are 21.1% lower than the levels given by g as phase chromatography, it is an instantaneous nonagressive method we ll correlated with classical blood tests, Nevertheless, this method co uld not be used in 19.6% of emergency patients due to physical impossi bility or refusal, justifying laboratory tests.