Hyperventilation device- a potential game-changer to reverse alcohol intoxication

Written By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2020-11-13T07:37:42+05:30 | Updated On 13 Nov 2020 1:49 PM IST

Ethanol poisoning is endemic the world over. According to the World Health Organization staggering 3 million deaths occur every year as result from harmful use of alcohol. Ethanol present in alcoholic drinks affects every part of the human body including brain function, circulation and even nail growth. When a certain level of blood alcohol concentration is reached, the intoxication can damage organs and lead to death.

A team of researchers led by Dr. Joseph Fisher presents a proof of concept of a simple method that could become a game-changer in rescue therapy for severe alcohol intoxication, as well as just "sobering up." The new simple method is proven to accelerate elimination of alcohol from the body.

The study has been published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research Journal.

This study is the first scientific demonstration that the basic rate of alcohol elimination could be substantially exceeded by using hyperventilation.

The principle behind UHN team's approach is simply to recruit the lungs to breathe out the alcohol. The harder the breathing, it was reasoned, the more alcohol is eliminated. The team found that indeed, hyperventilation eliminated the alcohol at least three times faster than through the liver alone.

Dr. Fisher and his team used a device that allows the patient to hyperventilate off the alcohol while returning precisely the amount of carbon dioxide to the body to keep it at normal levels in the blood--regardless of the extent of hyperventilation. The equipment is the size of a small briefcase and uses a valve system, some connecting tubes, a mask, and a small tank with compressed carbon dioxide.

Normally, 90% of the alcohol in the human body is cleared exclusively by the liver at constant rate that can't be increased. Currently there is no other method, short of dialysis, whereby alcohol can be removed from the blood. This leaves as the only options to treat life-threatening alcohol levels supportive measures such as giving oxygen, intravenous fluids, breathing assistance, and treating any heart issues with drugs.

"But you can't just hyperventilate, because in a minute or two you would become light-headed and pass out," explains Dr. Fisher, anesthesiologist and senior scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI).

When hyperventilating - breathing deeper and more rapidly than normal - the body eliminates carbon dioxide from the blood along with the alcohol. The decrease of this gas in the blood is the cause of symptoms such as light-headedness, tingling or numbness on hands and feet, and fainting.

"It's very basic, low-tech device that could be made anywhere in the world: no electronics, no computers or filters are required.

"It's almost inexplicable why we didn't try this decades ago," says Dr. Fisher.

This study is a proof of concept performed in the laboratory with volunteers. The authors recommend following up with further validation studies to understand how this technology could be applied in a clinical setting.

For further reference log on to:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76233-9

Scientific ReportsHyperventilation devicegame-changerreverse alcohol intoxicationalcoholAlcohol elimination from body

Source : Scientific Reports

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751