estimate_toxic_alcohol_level: Estimated Serum Concentration for Toxic Alcohols

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Estimated Serum Concentration for Toxic Alcohols

Description

Calculates the theoretical peak serum concentration of Ethanol, Methanol, Ethylene Glycol, or Isopropanol following an acute ingestion. The estimation uses the Widmark formula variant:

Cp = \frac{Volume \times Concentration \times SpecificGravity}{Weight \times Vd}

where Cp is the peak concentration.

Usage

estimate_toxic_alcohol_level(substance, volume_ingested, volume_units,
                             concentration_percent, weight_kg, sex = "male")

Arguments

substance	String. The ingested substance. Options: "ethanol", "methanol", "ethylene_glycol", "isopropanol".
volume_ingested	Numeric. The volume of liquid ingested.
volume_units	String. Units of volume. Options: "mL", "oz", "L".
concentration_percent	Numeric. The concentration of the substance in percent (e.g., 40 for 80-proof vodka, 95 for antifreeze).
weight_kg	Numeric. Patient weight in kilograms.
sex	String. Patient sex ("Male" or "Female"). Primarily affects the Volume of Distribution (Vd) used for Ethanol calculations.

Value

A list containing:

Estimated_Peak_Concentration_mg_dL	The calculated peak serum level in mg/dL.
Interpretation	Clinical context regarding toxic thresholds (e.g., treatment indication for methanol/ethylene glycol at >20 mg/dL).

References

Widmark EMP. Principles and Applications of Medicolegal Alcohol Determination. Biomedical Publications. 1981. (Original derivation). Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies. (Standard toxicology reference for Vd and SG values).

Examples

# Example 1: Methanol Ingestion
# 100 mL of 100% Methanol, 70kg person
estimate_toxic_alcohol_level("methanol", 100, "mL", 100, 70)

# Example 2: Ethanol Intoxication
# 500 mL of 40% Vodka, 80kg Male
# SG ~0.79, Vd ~0.7
estimate_toxic_alcohol_level("ethanol", 500, "mL", 40, 80, "male")

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.