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Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is the main ingredient in alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. To measure the alcohol concentration, you can use an alcohol concentration blower. Although the ventilator gives quick results, it is not as accurate as a blood alcohol test.
1. When is a blood alcohol test done?
Blood alcohol test (English name is Blood Alcohol Concentration and abbreviated BAC) is done under certain circumstances. There are two main reasons why alcohol users need to have their blood alcohol tested: Legally or medically.
Legally One of the most common legal reasons is violating the allowable blood alcohol concentration of drivers when the traffic police suspect that the driver is under the influence of alcohol. to find the error of alcohol content of motorbikes 2019 and other means of transport such as cars and even bicycles. In addition, blood alcohol testing is also carried out after traffic accidents, and the police will investigate the driver of an alcoholic vehicle who drank alcohol before causing the accident. others and for criminal prosecution. Normally, a vehicle driver can test for alcohol on the spot by blowing into an alcohol meter, if he or she refuses, he or she may be asked to take a blood test to assess the concentration.
Another legally related case is a work accident. If you have a work-related accident, the health agency can check whether you used alcohol and led to the accident, in order to assist the insurance company in implementing the conditions for the injured person. labor accident can enjoy body insurance or life insurance. In addition to the blood alcohol test, this test can be done with other samples such as: urine, blood, saliva or breath tests.
About medical reasons May be encountered in case the patient is unconscious, confused or shows signs of drunkenness, alcohol poisoning when going to the hospital. In these cases, blood alcohol testing helps doctors know if the cause of these symptoms is the patient's alcohol use or not and provide effective treatment and care regimens. . Doctors usually test the alcohol level by blowing into the alcohol meter, but when the patient is unconscious, blood will be taken instead.
2. How is the blood alcohol concentration measured?
When using alcohol, the stomach and small intestine will absorb ethanol into the blood, this blood will go to the liver for metabolism, so alcohol is the direct cause of liver toxicity. The more you drink, the higher the blood alcohol concentration and the longer it takes for the liver to metabolize.
When the blood alcohol test increases, alcohol affects the body more than you think. How quickly alcohol affects the body depends on a number of factors such as age, gender and weight, for example a small woman will get drunk faster than a tall man big.
Blood alcohol test results with the following results:
BAC=0.03: You will start to feel a bit confused but still feel in control of your body, but in reality , judgment and vision are not as good as when awake and now it is very difficult for you to be able to do two things at the same time. BAC=0.05: You have reduced self-awareness, difficulty controlling your body and vehicles, unable to focus on moving objects, and unable to react quickly to emergency situations. BAC=0.08: At this point, you can't stand and have trouble talking and looking straight. The ability to react slows down and the ability to judge and self-control has decreased quite a lot. BAC=0.10: Reactivity, judgment continues to get worse. BAC=0.20: At this point, you may be confused, walk unsteadily, pass out, or vomit. BAC=0.40: At this level you can become comatose and life-threatening, so you need immediate medical attention.
Note, never guess the blood alcohol concentration based on the feeling of the alcohol user.
3. Is there a safe threshold for drinking alcohol?
According to experts, there is no safe threshold if you drive while using alcohol. You may have some rumors that drinking alcohol after an hour will eliminate the amount of alcohol in the blood because the liver has already filtered it, and then a blood test will not detect that you have used alcohol. However, this rumor is not true, because many factors affect your BAC results, each person will be different, such as:
Age: Same amount of drink but as you get older the likelihood increases BAC in the blood of the elderly will be faster than that of young people. When eating before and during drinking, the amount of BAC increased more slowly. Gender: BAC levels usually increase more rapidly in women than in men. Weight: In general, the less a person weighs, the faster the amount of BAC increases.
If legal and illegal drugs are used, BAC levels will increase faster or alcohol combined with drugs causes dangerous side effects. Race and ethnicity: Genes affect how the liver metabolizes alcohol, as race or ethnicity also affects BAC results. For example, Asians and Native Americans tend to process alcohol more slowly, causing their BAC levels to rise faster than other races. Therefore, do not trust your own judgment when you have used alcohol because you cannot make decisions as accurately as when sober.
Vinmec International General Hospital is a professional quality hospital with a team of leading medical professionals, a system of modern technological equipment, comprehensive and professional medical examination, consulting and treatment services. ; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space. Customers when choosing to perform tests here can be completely assured of the accuracy of test results.
To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact Vinmec Health System nationwide, or register online HERE.
Reference source: webmd.com
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