Alcohols, Plasma | Cleveland Clinic Laboratories

Alcohols, Plasma Print

Test Mnemonic

ALCOS

CPT Codes

80320 - QTY (1)
G0480 - QTY (1)

Aliases

Acetone
Isopropanol
Methanol
Volatiles Screen
Volatiles, Plasma

Includes

Ethanol
Methanol
Isopropanol
Acetone

Performing Laboratory

Cleveland Clinic Laboratories

FDA Category

Laboratory Developed Test

Specimen Requirements

Volume	Type	Container	Collect Temperature	Transport Temperature	Special Instructions
2 mL	Plasma	Potassium oxalate/sodium fluoride (Gray)		Centrifuge, aliquot and refrigerate.	Separate plasma from cells as soon as possible. Transfer to standard CCL transport tube. Cap tube tightly to minimize alcohol loss. Do not draw plasma separator tubes.

Alternate Specimen Requirements

Volume	Type	Container	Transport Temperature	Special Instructions
2 mL	Plasma	EDTA (Lavender)	Centrifuge, aliquot and refrigerate.	Separate plasma from cells as soon as possible. Transfer to standard CCL transport tube. Cap tube tightly to minimize alcohol loss. Do not draw plasma separator tubes.
2 mL	Plasma	Lithium heparin (Green)	Centrifuge, aliquot and refrigerate.	Separate plasma from cells as soon as possible. Transfer to standard CCL transport tube. Cap tube tightly to minimize alcohol loss. Do not draw in plasma separator tubes.
2 mL	Serum	No additive (Red)	Centrifuge, aliquot and refrigerate.	Separate serum from cells as soon as possible. Transfer to standard CCL transport tube. Cap tube tightly to minimize alcohol loss. Do not draw in serum separator tubes.

Minimum Specimen Requirements

Volume	Type	Container	Collect Temperature	Transport Temperature	Special Instructions
0.5 mL

Stability

Environmental Condition	Description
Ambient	After separation from cells in a tightly capped tube: 3 days
Refrigerated	After separation from cells in a tightly capped tube: 14 days
Frozen	After separation from cells in a tightly capped tube: 14 days

Days Performed

Sun - Sat

Turnaround Time

1 day

Methodology

Name	Description
Quantitative Gas Chromatography

Reference Range

Acetone, Quant
Sex	Age From	Age To	Type	Range	Range Unit
	Years	99 Years	Normal	<5	mg/dL
Alcohol, Blood Confirmation
Sex	Age From	Age To	Type	Range	Range Unit
	Years	99 Years	Normal	<5	mg/dL
Isopropanol
Sex	Age From	Age To	Type	Range	Range Unit
	Years	99 Years	Normal	<5	mg/dL
Methanol
Sex	Age From	Age To	Type	Range	Range Unit
	Years	99 Years	Normal	<5	mg/dL

Special Info

For medical purposes only; not valid for forensic use. Do not use alcohol or other volatile disinfectants at the site of venipuncture. Aqueous Zephiran (benzalkonium chloride), aqueous Merthiolate (thimerosal), or povidone-iodine may be used.

Clinical Info

Use to identify ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, and/or acetone ingestion. Reference ranges are based off of the assay's limit of quantitation (5 mg/dL). Ethanol: Therapy for methanol intoxication: 100-150 mg/dL. [American Academy of Clinical Toxicology Practice Guidelines on the Treatment of Methanol Poisoning. Clinical Toxicology, 2002, 40(4): 415-446.] Monitor exposure to ethanol. Elevated concentrations may cause disorientation, loss of motor functions, CNS depression, vomiting, urine and feces incontinence, coma, and fatality. Toxic concentrations are dependent upon the usage history of the patient. Isopropanol and Acetone: Monitor exposure to isopropanol. Elevated concentrations may cause nausea, dizziness, central nervous system depression and coma. Acetone is a metabolite of isopropanol. Acetone may also be detected during ketoacidosis. Methanol: Monitor exposure to methanol. Elevated concentrations may cause intoxication, metabolic acidosis, ocular toxicity, CNS depression and fatality if patients do not receive medical treatment.