REBEL Core Cast 128.0 – Toxic Alcohols

REBEL EM – Emergency Medicine Blog

Take Home Points

1. Toxic alcohols generally refer to methanol and ethylene glycol as these substances pose significant metabolic derangement and end-organ damage.
2. Patient who present shortly after ingestion will simply look inebriated – no different than ethanol intoxication. At this point, patients will have an elevated osmolar gap and little to no anion gap.
3. Patient who presents in a delayed fashion after ingestion may have a normal osmolar gap however will manifest the signs of end-organ damage: anion gap metabolic acidosis, visual impairment, or renal dysfunction.
4. The osmolar gap is poorly sensitive, specific surrogate measure that is used to detect the presence of toxic alcohols. A normal osm gap does not rule out a toxic alcohol ingestion.
5. Management includes fomepizole, hemodialysis, and vitamin supplementation.

REBEL Core Cast 128.0 – Toxic Alcohols

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Reference: Wiener SW. Chapter 106. Toxic Alcohols. In: Nelson LS, Howland MA, Lewin NA, Smith SW, Goldfrank LR, Hoffman RS, , Flomenbaum NE. eds. Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies, 11e New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2019. Accessed October 2, 2024.

Guest Expert: Dr. Sanjay Mohan, MD (Link)

Post Peer Reviewed By: Salim R. Rezaie, MD (Twitter/X: @srrezaie)

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