Burn Trauma and Blood Alcohol Content

[Glider]

The first two stages of alcohol metabolism as I understand it, is the alcohol being converted to acetaldehyde, then acetone. Does anyone know if the acetaldehyde and/or acetone would be part of the BAC result or does the BAC mean unmetabolized alcohol only? The reason I ask, is because I also understand that acetaldehyde attaches to red blood cells. Therefore, if the number of red blood cells increased as a total of the whole blood, wouldn't that make the BAC test higher?

Blood alcohol refers to (and is a measure of) levels of alcohol in the blood, not acetone, ketones or aldehydes. If blood alcohol tests responded to, or included metabolytes of alcohol, they would be completely useless as tests of blood alcohol levels.

 

 

As for drinking the day before, the answer is no. Do I know if he metabolizes alcohol slower than others, I don't know. There has never been any indication of that.

Then it's a possibility and cannot be ignored.

 

I know a burn physician personally but I'm not allowed to consult with him just yet. I just can't believe that this question has not been studied before.

The question of the validity of blood alcohol tests has been studied quite a lot and there is a lot of information on it.

There are studies that show that burns heal slower and more infections in persons who consumed alcohol prior to being burned. Why would this be?

As I said, alcohol can can freely cross cell membranes, so alcohol in the system will eventually find equilibrium throughout the body where it has a universally negative/inhibitory effect on all cells and systems.

 

Being 'drunk' is simply the effects of alcohol on neurons, but it affects other cells and system just as much, it's just that we are not aware of those effects. For example, you are more likely to fall victim to an opportunistic infection when you have been drinking (colds, sore throat etc.) as alcohol supresses immune function. Likelwise, cells responsible for healing (e.g. cells in the basal cell layer in the skin) are also affected.

 

The only reason we drink it is for its psychological effects, but it affecvts everything. We're just not aware of the other effects.

 

As much as I do appreciate you guys replying to my questions, please don't waste your time if you can't make the assumptions that my alcohol numbers are correct. I'm four years past that. Something caused the elevated BAC number and it wasn't the amount consumed. It's burn trauma and the bodily changes that go with it that caused it. Sounds like I'm in unexplored territory.

We can make the assumptions, we just know that it would be foolish to do so.

 

By doing so, as ecoli says, we are ruling out all the simplest and most obvious explanations (without testing them) and beginning with the assumption that the explanation must be something extraordinary and complex. That is bad science.

 

The solution may be extraordinary, but you can't just ignore the ordinary to begin with.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Glider

[sspl01]

Hello friends we know that every person have a Blood Alcohol Content in his body.When alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream, it is not chemically changed. When a person exhales, the alcohol in their blood passes lung’s air sacs (alveoli) and into the air. Since alcohol evaporates, it can then be measured in the air exhaled from the lungs.

 

 

Mack

 

 

Alcoholism Treatment

[Suzyboo]

Any updates on this post or could the original author contact me please. I am in the same situation and I need to understand why. I am certain myself and, have had it confirmed by the people I was with, I had one small glass of wine within the hour of the fire and hadn't drank for 5 days prior so no top up either.