@article{ref1,
title="Assessment of a semi-quantitative screening method for diagnosis of ethylene glycol poisoning",
journal="Annals of clinical biochemistry",
year="2016",
author="Sankaralingam, Arun and Thomas, Annette and James, David and Wierzbicki, Anthony S.",
volume="54",
number="4",
pages="501-503",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Ethylene glycol (EG) poisoning remains a rare but important presentation to acute toxicology units. Guidelines recommended that Ethylene Glycol should be available as an 'urgent' test within 4 hours but these are difficult to deliver in practice. This study assessed a semi-quantitative enzymatic spectrophotometric assay for EG compatible with automated platforms. <br><br>METHODS: The EG method was assessed in 21 samples from patients with an increased anion gap and metabolic acidosis not due to EG ingestion, and 7 samples known to contain EG. All samples were analysed in random order in a blinded-manner to their origin on a laboratory spectrophotometer. <br><br>RESULTS: In this study, 7 samples were known to contain EG at concentrations >100mg/L. The method correctly identified all 7 samples as containing EG. No false positives were observed. 13 samples gave clear negative results. EG was present at <20mg/L in one sample, but this sample remained within the limits of the negative control. Passing-Bablock correlation of estimates of EG concentration against results obtained when the samples had been analysed using the quantitative method on an automated analyser showed a good correlation (R=0.84) but with an apparent under-recovery. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: A semi-quantitative assay for EG was able to discriminate well between samples containing EG and those with other causes of acidosis. It is a practical small-scale assay for rapid identification of cases of EG-poisoning.<br><br>© 2016 Sage Publications, Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0004-5632",
doi="10.1177/0004563216672892",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004563216672892"
}