Blood tests for alcohol: where to donate, methods, blood sampling time, results and indicators

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In 2014, WHO published the rating of the world's most drinkers, in which Russia is by no means an honorable fourth place in terms of alcohol consumption per capita. Drinking is really a scourge for our country. In a state of intoxication, suicides, road accidents and serious crimes are committed. Particularly sad statistics on accidents committed in a drunken intoxication. Today in Russia it is strictly forbidden to be behind the wheel even after one glass of alcoholic beverage. Determine whether a drunk person or sober is 100% helpful blood test.

Analyzes for alcohol

The analysis of blood for alcohol is a routine procedure that is performed daily in hundreds of laboratories and drug treatment centers throughout the country. Sometimes the results of the analysis are awaited with trembling, and sometimes with horror, realizing that positive analysis is capable of reversing fate.

Most often, the blood for the content of ethanol has to be handed over to drivers who have been involved in a traffic accident or to those who have fallen under the watchful eye of valiant guardians of road order. Prove his sobriety driver can only one way - to pass a blood test, which will show if a person took alcohol.

But not only careless drivers get to the laboratory for the purpose of donating blood. Often such an analysis is taken in people with severe trauma, in order to determine the possibility of surgical intervention or to find out the reasons for a strange human condition. Sometimes the analysis for alcohol is taken from minors, as well as by specialists who, by occupation, must be sober in their workplace.

Where can I get it? The blood test is performed in special laboratories at drug treatment centers or in paid medical centers.

Action of ethanol on blood

Any doctor who prescribes a blood test should warn the patient that at least 24 hours prior to visiting the laboratory, you should not use any drugs containing alcohol. The clinical picture of blood can be greatly altered under the influence of alcohol-containing beverages.

So, the following indicators change their values:

• the concentration of lactic acid rises;
• increases the level of triglycerides, which can be regarded as the onset of atherosclerotic changes;
• the level of uric acid is much higher than usual parameters. This can be determined by the attending physician as the first sign of impending problems with the kidneys or liver;
• the average volume of erythrocytes rises;
• increases total cholesterol;
• increases the level of the enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, which may indicate a variety of liver problems.

An experienced physician who has seen a significant excess of the biochemical blood test data may suspect that he had overdosed with alcohol on the eve of the patient, however, such tests can also testify about impending problems with the most important organs - the heart, kidneys, liver. Therefore, in order for the indicators to be more reliable, the delivery of blood should be carried out in an absolutely sober state.
On the video about the effect of alcohol on human blood:

Methods for determining the presence of alcohol

There is a fairly strict procedure for determining alcohol intoxication:

• only venous blood is taken for analysis;
• the skin at the puncture site should not be rubbed with alcohol-containing products;The
• lab technician should be in disposable gloves;
• blood is collected in sterile bottles.

To date, there are three methods for detecting alcohol by venous blood:

• Widmark method;
• enzyme analysis;
• method of gas chromatography.

In the laboratory in the narcological dispensary, the last two methods of investigation are mainly used, since they are considered more accurate.

When referring to a blood test for ethanol, it should be borne in mind that the concentration of alcohol in the blood gradually decreases over time. Therefore, a blood test, handed in 4-5 hours after drinking alcohol, can be considered uninformative. It is recommended to take a blood test for alcohol content within an hour or two after taking it on the chest.

What else should you know about donating blood for ethanol:

1. The result of the analysis shows the alcohol content only at the time of blood donation.
2. The analysis does not show how long it has been drinking an alcoholic beverage.

However, a blood test for the presence of alcohol in the blood quite accurately determines a drunk person at the time when a sample was made or sober, like a glass. The most accurate method is gas chromatography.

How is the ethanol content determined in this case? It is very simple - the sample of analysis is placed in a glass container, where the liquid medium gradually evaporates, leaving air in the bulb, which, in turn, is examined by means of a special chromatograph instrument. It is in the remaining air that the ethanol content is estimated. This technique requires the availability of an expensive device and special reagents, it is in most cases used by all laboratories that have a license for blood testing.

Answering the question, what analysis shows alcohol in the blood, it is worth mentioning the enzyme way, which is no less common. When you drink alcohol significantly increases the activity of those enzymes that process alcohol. In a non-drinking person these enzymes are absent. When carrying out enzyme analysis, the transferred blood is placed in a test tube, it is divided into fractions, a glass container with serum is placed in a special analyzer. In a few minutes, the device determines the enzyme content in the blood serum.

Often an enzymatic method for determining ethanol is used in narcology to control alcoholics who have been treated for abuse. The patient can claim that he does not drink alcohol, but he will be given the results of the analysis, which will show the presence of enzymes.

The Widmark method is rarely conducted by forensic doctors because of incorrect results. In this case, the formula proposed by the Swedish scientist does not take into account the amount of alcohol that did not have time to suck in the blood for any reason. More often, Widmark's method is used in the study of blood from dead people.

The method involves placing blood in special flasks and creating conditions for the oxidation of ethanol. In this case, the degree of intoxication is calculated according to the formula proposed by the scientist, taking into account the weight of the patient, the amount of alcohol consumed and the coefficient calculated by Vidmark himself.

Decoding of indicators

Any of the proposed methods sets the amount of ppm contained in the patient's blood. The degree of intoxication in each case is determined by doctors. As a rule, doctors are guided by the table proposed by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

According to the table of degree of intoxication, are calculated as follows:

• 0.00 - 0.3 ppm - sobriety. This amount of ethanol in the blood is considered insignificant and fully corresponds to the level of endogenous alcohol produced by the body;
• 0.3 - 1.0 ppm - a euphoric state. Coordination and perception are slowed down, a person becomes self-confident and arrogant, denies being in alcoholic intoxication. Intoxication is considered easy;
• 0,8 - 2,0 - excitation, inadequate behavior. The reaction is slowed, nausea, severe drowsiness, a person can not adequately assess the environment. Intoxication of an average degree;
• 1,4 - 2,4 - the state of disorientation. A strong degree of intoxication, characterized by a violation of orientation in space, speech, sight. Drunk experienced feelings of anger and fear, insensitivity to pain. At a part of patients such quantity of alcohol in a blood can lead to a coma;
• 2.2 - 3.2 - numbness and apathy. With this degree of intoxication, a person can not move, a strong gag reflex is observed, paralysis and coma may occur. Intoxication turns into heavy intoxication;
• 3,0 - 4,0 - severe alcohol poisoning, in most cases leading to loss of consciousness, body temperature decreases, reflexes absent. In the absence of medical assistance, death is possible;
• 3.8 ppm and above - death. Alcohol poisoning is considered fatal, breathing stops, the patient dies.

Degrees of intoxication of a person

What can affect the results?

Occasionally in the work of forensic doctors and laboratory assistants happen incidents - an absolutely sober person finds in the blood a significant amount of ethanol, thereby equating him to malicious violators of traffic rules or public order.

This can happen in some cases:

1. If the analysis is not taken correctly. The laboratory assistant, violating the established rules, can wipe the skin at the injection site with alcohol.
2. High content of acetone in the blood with diabetes.
3. Admission of alcohol-containing medicines - syrups, herbal infusions.
4. Use of poisonous substances containing methyl or isopropyl alcohol.