Ethanol level
Background
- Serum ethanol concentration; measured in mg/dL
Normal Values
- Normal: 0 mg/dL
- Legal intoxication (US): >80 mg/dL (varies by state)
Interpretation
- Average metabolism: ~20 mg/dL per hour (range 15-25 mg/dL/hr)
- Chronic drinkers may have enhanced metabolism (up to 30-40 mg/dL/hr)
- Altered mental status disproportionate to ethanol level should prompt workup for co-ingestion, trauma, infection, or metabolic derangement
- Contributes to osmolal gap: each 100 mg/dL ethanol raises osmolal gap by ~22 mOsm/kg
- If clinical intoxication but low/absent ethanol: consider toxic alcohols (methanol, ethylene glycol)