Intravenous Administration of Ethanol

Six patients with a drain in the main pancreatic duct were studied. Ethanol was given orally with individually adjusted doses aiming at a blood value of 0-8/1000 (17-6 mmol/l). Concentrations of ethanol in venous blood and pancreatic juice were recorded for three hours. Similar studies were made when ethanol was administered as an intravenous priming dose followed by a maintenance infusion. After orally administered ethanol, pancreatic juice values were higher than those in blood for a short period of time. The relations between median concentrations and time were incongruous curves consistent with a significant treatment by time interaction. Intravenous administration resulted in a similar pattern, but the interaction was not statistically significant. These findings indicate that the human pancreas may secrete ethanol. Methods Pure pancreatic juice was collected by tube drain from six male patients (age range 43-63 years). In three patients drains were inserted percutaneously into pancreatic pseudocysts which were known to communicate with the main pancreatic duct. Three had been placed in the main pancreatic duct during pancreatoduodenectomy for cancer (Whipple's operation). The reconstruction was an end to end pancreaticojejunostomy and an end to side gastrojejunostomy, the two anastomoses being 40 cm apart and the choledochojejunostomy in between. Our investigations were performed 1214 days after catheter insertion, when pancreatic secretion was stable and exceeded 200 ml/24 hours. The study was in accordance with the Second Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from patients and the protocol was approved by the regional ethical committee. Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark I Gj0rup S Dueholm B Andersen F Burcharth Correspondence to: Dr Ida Gj0rup, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, D 106, Herlev Hospital, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark. Accepted for publication 13 February 1990 Our knowledge of the effects of ethanol on the pancreas is still limited, but changes in secretory patterns correlate well with the histopathology in chronic alcoholic pancreatitis.'4 Animal experiments suggest that ethanol infused into the stomach or jejunum results in similar ethanol concentrations in pancreatic juice and arterial blood. The presence ofethanol in the pancreatic secretion may be a contributory cause of pancreatitis.7 We therefore investigated ethanol concentrations in human pancreatic juice and blood after both oral and intravenous administration. ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ETHANOL The patients drank 0 55 g ethanol/kg in an aqueous solution within 10 minutes. We aimed at a peak blood ethanol concentration of0 8/1000 (l7 6 mmol/A). The mean ethanol concentrations in samples of pancreatic juice and in serum (venous blood) were assessed every 10 minutes for three hours. INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF ETHANOL The following day, ethanol was given intra(®) Oral administration