Predictive Value of Base Excess for Mortality in Methanol Intoxication

Objective: Methanol intoxication is among the common reasons for emergency department admissions, apart from suicide attempts. In this study, we investigated the predictive value of base excess (BE) for methanol-related mortality and its potential use in clinical practice.
Material and Methods: All patients with a confirmed diagnosis of methanol intoxication in an 8-year retrospective study were included. Cases with in-hospital mortality were included in the mortality group. Blood gas and biochemical parameters of the patients were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curve and regression analyses were performed for variables with significant differences between the groups.
Results: We found that pH, HCO3, and BE were significantly lower, whereas lactate levels were significantly higher in the mortality group. According to the cut-off values of the independent variables, we determined the area under the curve values to be 0.852, 0.855, 0.900, and 0.708, respectively. We found that the BE value of <-23.65 had the highest sensitivity, specificity, and odds ratio (OR) values [sensitivity: 86.4%, specificity: 89.47%, OR: 0.780 (95% CI; 0.656-0.929)].
Conclusion: We suggest that BE values can be useful for clinicians in prioritizing patients in mass emergency department admissions, such as those with methanol intoxication.

Keywords: Base excess, intoxication, methanol, predictive