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ABSTRACT
Venous PCO2 and PO2 in the presence of normal arterial PCO2 and PO2 in patients with alcoholic intoxication have not been previously evaluated. The objective of this study was to compare arterial and venous blood gases in patients with alcoholic intoxication and healthy controls. Sixteen patients with alcoholic intoxication and 20 controls underwent simultaneous blood sampling from a radial artery and an antecubital vein for acid-base analysis. Osmolality and ethanol blood concentration was estimated. Elevated venous pO2 were found in 56% of patients with alcoholic poisoning compared with 15% of controls. A formula was found describing possible arterio-venous shunt accounting for elevated venous pO2 and enabling calculation of the relevant venous carbon dioxide content and CO2 product. The values of the venous pO2 and arterio-venous shunt were more significant in the alcohol group than in controls (p = 0.002, p = 0.001, respectively). Percentage of patients with a-v shunts was significantly higher in the alcohol group (81%) than in controls (25%) (p = 0.002, OR 2.6, 95% CI 0.13–6.52). The relevant venous CO2 and CO2 product had the non-significant trend to be higher in the alcohol group. In conclusion, this study reports ethanol-induced venous pO2 and pCO2 elevation. This may be associated with the effects of tissue perfusion stealing and high oxygen consumption. On the other hand, possible beneficial consequences may occur: acceleration of alcohol elimination and reduction of alcohol-induced tissue damage.