Methanol Half-Life During Ethanol Administration: Implications for Management of Methanol Poisoning, ,

Study objective: To determine the half-life of methanol in methanol-poisoned patients who are treated with ethanol but not with hemodialysis. Design: Case series. Setting: University Hospital, University of Manitoba. Participants: Three methanol-poisoned patients treated with ethanol but not with hemodialysis and three similar patients identified by a literature review. Results: Plots of terminal concentration versus time data were inconsistent with zero-order kinetics and were adequately explained by an apparent first-order process. The median half-life of methanol in these patients was 43.1 hours, with a range of 30.3 to 52.0 hours. Conclusion: Because of the significantly increased risk of toxicity and complications during ethanol monotherapy, we suggest that hemodialysis be considered for methanol-poisoned patients who are treated with ethanol infusion. [Palatnick W, Redman LW, Sitar DS, Tenenbein M: Methanol half-life during ethanol administration: Implications for management of methanol poisoning. Ann Emerg Med August 1995;26:202-207.]