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Validity of Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring: Fixed and Self‐Regulated Dosing
Author(s) -
Sakai Joseph T.,
MikulichGilbertson Susan K.,
Long Robert J.,
Crowley Thomas J.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00004.x
Subject(s) - transdermal , dosing , alcohol , medicine , area under the curve , ethanol , alcohol consumption , zoology , anesthesia , chemistry , pharmacology , biology , biochemistry
Background: To study the validity of transdermal assessment of alcohol concentration measured by a lightweight, noninvasive device. Methods: Subjects wore a 227‐g anklet that sensed transdermal alcohol concentrations (TACs) every 15 to 30 minutes, downloading results to a remote computer each day. Twenty‐four subjects entered a laboratory and received a dose of 0, 0.28, or 0.56 g/kg of ethanol. Breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) and TAC were measured every 15 to 30 minutes Twenty others [10 alcohol dependent (AD) and 10 not (NAD)] in the community who wore the anklet for 8 days kept a drinking log and provided a BrAC sample each day. Results: In the laboratory, no zero‐dose subject, and every subject receiving alcohol, had alcohol‐positive TACs. The device distinguished low‐ and high‐alcohol–dosing groups using peak ( t 14 =3.37; p <0.01) and area under the curve ( t 14 =3.42; p <0.01) of TACs. Within dosing groups, average TAC curves were broader (right‐shifted) and had lower peaks than average BrAC curves. For community participants, self‐reported number of drinks ( t 18 =−3.77; p <0.01), area under the TAC curve ( t 9.5 =−3.56; p <0.01), and mean TAC ( t 9.9 =−3.35; p <0.01) all significantly distinguished the AD and NAD groups. However, individual transdermal readings were not reliably quantitatively equivalent to simultaneously obtained breath results. Conclusions: Within the limits of the laboratory study, the device consistently detected consumption of approximately 2 standard drinks. On average, the device shows discriminative validity as a semiquantitative measure of alcohol consumption but individual readings often are not equivalent to simultaneous BrACs.