Does the clinical use of ethanol-based hand sanitizer elevate blood alcohol levels?
Miller MA; Rosin A; Levsky ME; Patel MM; Gregory TJ; Crystal CS Department of Emergency Medicine, C.R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Hood, TX 76544, USA. michael.miller3@amedd.army.mil BACKGROUND: Ethanol-based hand sanitizers (EBHSs) are used in most health care facilities in the United States. Infection control personnel advocate the use of generous quantities of EBHS before and after contact with patients. Although it is assumed that little systemic absorption of ethanol occurs during EBHS use, many alcohols are absorbed to varying degrees via the transdermal route. Ethanol intoxication by employees in the medical workplace is a potentially serious finding, and it is of forensic and medical-legal importance to elucidate the effects of frequent use of EBHS upon serum blood ethanol levels (BELs). To investigate the effect of frequent use of EBHS upon serum blood ethanol concentrations, we prospectively studied 5 volunteers undergoing frequent application of EBHS. METHODS: Enrolled subj
