A 52-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after being found obtunded in his garage. His medical history is significant for major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder. He is unresponsive to verbal stimuli but localizes to pain. Vital signs are within normal limits except for a respiratory rate of . Laboratory evaluation reveals the following:
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Sodium () | |
| Potassium () | |
| Chloride () | |
| Bicarbonate () | |
| Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) | |
| Creatinine | |
| Glucose | |
| Serum ethanol | Undetectable |
| Measured serum osmolality |
Arterial blood gas on room air shows a pH of , of , and of .
Based on these laboratory results, what is the patient's calculated serum osmolar gap?
Cevap: 26 mOsm/kg
Cevap
26
The patient's osmolar gap is . This is calculated by taking the measured osmolality () and subtracting the calculated osmolality (). The formula for calculated osmolality is . This elevated gap, alongside a high anion gap metabolic acidosis (), strongly suggests toxic alcohol ingestion, such as methanol or ethylene glycol, given the clinical context of obtundation and negative ethanol levels.
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Anahtar Kavram
The serum osmolar gap is used to detect the presence of unmeasured osmotically active substances (such as toxic alcohols). It is calculated by subtracting the calculated serum osmolality from the measured serum osmolality.