Blood ethanol concentrations during and following constant‐rate intravenous infusion of alcohol

Abstract

Blood ethanol concentrations were determined in 7 subjects during and subsequent to a 2-hr constant-rate intravenous infusion of ethyl alcohol (8% V/V). Eight to 10 capillary blood samples were collected during the infusion and 10 to 21 samples were obtained after the infusion ceased. Thus, the total time course of blood ethanol concentrations in man was defined, both during and postirifusion. Blood ethanol concentration data from each of 6 subjects were fitted simultaneously to the two equations for the one-compartment open model with zero order input and Michaelis-Menten elimination kinetics. The average V_m [0.232 mg/(ml × hr)] and K_m [0.0821 mg/ml] obtained from these fittings correspond very closely with corresponding values estimated by the fitting of all the mean concentration-time data obtained following oral administration of 4 different doses of ethanol to 8 other fasting subjects in another study. A disproportionate increase in area under the concentration-time curve with increase in dose (gmlkg) was observed in a single subject who was infused with equal volumes of a 4% and an 8% (V/V) ethanol solution at the same constant rate.