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Addiction (Expert Forum)
BAC levels
Questions in the Addiction forum are answered by a medical expert.
BAC levels
by Ana__0__0, Jun 28, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by Anna on June 28, 1999 at 01:06:42
My father was killed in an accident by someone who was "legaly drunk". Both my father and the guy who caused the accident were tested for their alcohol levels. The guy was given a breathalizer and after my father had died , blood was drawn from his heart. Are both tests equal? Does the blood test produce more accurate results? And why was the blood taken from the heart and not somewhere else in the body?
Posted by SA, M.D. - HVMA on June 28, 1999 at 09:59:55
Dear Anna,
I am saddened to hear that alcohol has claimed another life.
In general, blood alcohol concentrations measured in the blood will be more accurate than those measured in exhaled air (breath), because the breath analysis is one-step removed from from the actual BAC.
I am not a pathologist, so I do not know much about post-mortem toxicology. However, it does make sense to me that the blood in the heart of the deceased would be tested in order to determine the approximate BAC at the time of death. That blood, which is available in a large quantity and found deep within the body, is probably less influenced by the chemical changes brought on by death than blood which is more peripheral and less plentiful.
Again, I offer my condolences.
DrSteve
Keywords: alcohol, blood alcohol concentration, BAC
