Simple versus sophisticated models of breath alcohol exhalation profiles.

Journal article

For medicolegal purposes, breath alcohol content is typically determined from an end-expiratory sample. Measurements obtained by this method necessarily underestimate the alveolar breath alcohol content, and therefore underestimate the blood alcohol content. We suggest and analyse an improved paradigm which uses the entire time-series of breath alcohol measurements during exhalation, not simply the last recorded value. We present two mathematical models for the exhaling lung, and discuss the implications of each for more accurate and therefore more reliable breath alcohol measurement.

Authors: Lubkin, SR; Gullberg, R; Logan, B; Maini, P; Murray, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 61-67
• Publication date: 1996-01-01
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008117
• EISSN: 1464-3502
• ISSN: 0735-0414
• Language: English
• Keywords: Ethanol; Pulmonary Alveoli; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Female; Male; Alcoholic Intoxication; Humans; Automobile Driving; Pulmonary Ventilation; Breath Tests; Adult; Mathematical Computing; Software; Metabolic Clearance Rate