Computerized calculation with osmolality and its automatic comparison with observed serum ethanol concentration

Abstract

The need to obtain blood alcohol levels in the differential diagnosis of the acutely intoxicated or unconscious patient often presents an emergency situation. By simultaneously determining the measured osmolality, the calculated osmolality, and the enzymatically-assayed ethanol level, the presence of alcohols other than ethanol can be recognized rapidly. A computer program has been written in FORTRAN to perform the necessary calculations, check for internal consistency, and alert the technologist if a disparity occurs.