Analysis of ethyl alcohol concentration in blood using gas chromatography equipped with blood gas sampler

Abstract

We compared the method using blood gas sampler with head space method for analysis of ethyl alcohol concentration in blood. The introduction mechanism of sample into gas chromatography is similar to pyrolyzer, but this apparatus is less complex than pyrolyzer. The calibration curve analyzed using BGS-1A became linear from 0.0 mg/ml and 6.0 mg/ml ethyl alcohol concentration as same as head space method. But, the linearity was worse than head space method. The linearity at low concentration of ethyl alcohol was better than at high concentration. The slopes of calibration curve of BGS-1A method and head space method were 3.5 and 4.05, respectively. These values were very close. After one assay, sample was reinjected without changing the new filter paper of glass sample tube of BGS-1A. No sample accumulation was observed. Ethyl alcohol in only 0.5 microliter of blood was detectable, and this volume was considerably smaller than head space method. The quantitative analysis of ethyl alcohol in blood using blood gas sampler BGS-1A, was usable. And, this method was more convenient than the head space method. Because, the sample volume become smaller and the additional instruments (for instance, vials, air-tight syringe, incubator for heating vials and oven for heating syringe) were not needed. And the heating time for the equilibration of samples between air phase and liquid phase was not needed.