Blood tests for alcohol are often a key component of any DUI or other legal proceeding. One of the difficulties of such tests is that they can be difficult for a layman or a patient to interpret. Because tests done in a hospital often have a certain level of error associated with the measurements (based on the standards they use), blood tests for alcohol can be subject to interpretation. This guide helps you understand interpret them.
Instructions
1. Note the measured level of alcohol. This will usually be measured as a percentage of blood alcohol and will be one of the first results on a blood-alcohol test report.
2. Note the time of the test. The timing of a blood-alcohol test is critical to interpreting the results. The more time that has elapsed between an initial query and a blood alcohol test, the less accurate the test may be. As a result, for legal issues such as a DUI, it's important to determine the amount of time between the initial citation (the traffic stop) and the actual blood test.
3. Examine the deviation of the alcohol blood test. Most tests have a certain amount of error associated with them. This is often due to the fact that the same test, done multiple times, will yield slightly different results. This is usually entered as a plus/minus sign just to the right of the measured number. This number may represent the standard deviation of the measurement or the standard error (the latter is normally smaller). This can be critical when arguing a legal case in regard to blood alcohol test measurements, especially in cases in which the blood-alcohol test was borderline.
4. Examine other blood test results. Some blood tests may affect the results of a blood alcohol test, especially those that involve solvents made of ethanol or other alcohols. Contamination of blood samples is always a concern when blood tests are being done, so check the order of the other tests and look for abnormalities.
5. Compare the blood test to established normal levels. Most blood tests are done enzymatically to compare blood alcohol levels to established norms. When interpreting blood alcohol test results, it's important to keep these results in mind. Because these enzymes may normally give a range of values, it's important to understand what a particular measurement means in terms of blood-alcohol levels.
Tags: blood alcohol, alcohol test, blood alcohol test, blood test, blood tests