The Accuracy of Blood Alcohol Analysis Using Headspace Gas Chromatography When Performed on Clotted Samples

Abstract

Subjects consumed alcoholic beverages and attained blood ethyl alcohol concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 0.15 g/dL. Sets of blood samples were drawn from these subjects, including some samples that were allowed to clot and some in which anticoagulent was added. A quantitative analysis for ethyl alcohol was performed on these samples using headspace gas chromatography. The mean deviation of the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the clotted samples from the ethyl alcohol concentration in the corresponding control samples was 0.001 g/dL. The 99% confidence interval for this mean was +/- 0.0005 g/dL.