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Ethanol toxicity
From WikEM
(Redirected from Ethanol)
Contents
Background
- Rate of ETOH elimination is 15-30mg/dL/hr (depending on degree of chronic alcohol intake)
Clinical Features
Classic Features
- Slurred speech
- Nystagmus
- Ataxia
- Nausea and vomiting
- Alcohol odor on breath
- Respiratory depression
- Coma
Other Features (if malnourished)
Mellanby effect
- Impairment is greater at a given blood alcohol concentration when the level is rising than when it is falling. [1]
Differential Diagnosis
- Ethanol toxicity
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Electrolyte/acid-base disorder
Sedative/hypnotic toxicity
- Toxic alcohols
- Ethanol
- Ethylene glycol
- Methanol
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Benzodiazepines
- Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol)
- Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
- Barbiturates
- Opioids
- Chloral hydrate
- Absinthe
Altered mental status
Diffuse brain dysfunction
- Hypoxic encephalopathy
- Acute toxic-metabolic encephalopathy (Delirium)
- Hypoglycemia
- Hyperosmolar state (e.g., hyperglycemia)
- Electrolyte Abnormalities (hypernatremia or hyponatremia, hypercalcemia)
- Organ system failure
- Hepatic Encephalopathy
- Uremia/Renal Failure
- Endocrine (Addison's disease, Cushing syndrome, hypothyroidism, myxedema coma, thyroid storm)
- Hypoxia
- CO2 narcosis
- Hypertensive Encephalopathy
- Toxins
- Drug reactions (NMS, Serotonin Syndrome)
- Environmental causes
- Deficiency state
- Wernicke encephalopathy
- Subacture Combined Degeneragion (B12 deficiency)
- Vitamin D Deficiency
- Zinc Deficiency
- Sepsis
Primary CNS disease or trauma
- Direct CNS trauma
- Diffuse axonal injury
- Subdural/epidural hematoma
- Vascular disease
- Intraparenchymal hemorrhage
- SAH
- Stroke
- Hemispheric, brainstem
- CNS infections
- Neoplasms
- Paraneoplastic Limbic Encephalitis]
- Malignant Meningitis
- Pancreatic Insulinoma
- Seizures
- Nonconvulsive status epilepticus
- Postictal state
- Dementia
Psychiatric
- Acute psychosis
- Excited delirium
- Malingering
Evaluation
Clinical diagnosis. No specific workup required, but the following may be considered based on clinical picture/gestalt:
- Fingerstick glucose (recommended as minimum workup in all patients with AMS)
- Consider blood alcohol level (BAL)
- Correlates poorly with degree of intoxication[2]
- Maintain low threshold for imaging in intoxicated patient with signs of trauma
Management
- Supportive care is mainstay of ED treatment and is based on clinical presentation
- Manage ABCs
- Benzodiazepines or haloperidol for agitation
- IV fluids are commonly used but do not hasten ETOH elimination or reduce length of stay[3][4]
Disposition
- Caution should be taken when BAL is measured on arrival as clinical exam cannot be used alone for discharge
- Can be discharged once patient at baseline mental status, able to tolerate PO and ambulate without assistance
See Also
- Beer Potomania Syndrome
- Alcoholic ketoacidosis
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Alcohol withdrawal seizures
- Altered mental status
- Delerium tremens
- EBQ:Outpatient use of benzodiazepines for the treatment of acute alcohol withdrawal
- Sedative/Hypnotic
References
- ↑ Wang MQ, Nicholson ME, Mahoney BS, et al. Proprioceptive responses under rising and falling BACs: a test of the Mellanby effect. Percept Mot Skills. 1993 Aug;77(1):83-8.
- ↑ Olson KN, Smith SW, Kloss JS, et al. Relationship between blood alcohol concentration and observable symptoms of intoxication in patients presenting to an emergency department. Alcohol Alcohol. 2013 Jul-Aug;48(4):386-9. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agt042.
- ↑ Perez SR, Keijzers G, Steele M. Intravenous 0.9% sodium chloride therapy does not reduce length of stay of alcohol-intoxicated patients in the emergency department: a randomised controlled trial. Emerg Med Australas. 2013 Dec;25(6):527-34. doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.12151.
- ↑ Li J, Mills T, Erato R. Intravenous saline has no effect on blood ethanol clearance. J Emerg Med. 1999 Jan-Feb;17(1):1-5.
