Hemodialysis for methanol intoxication.

A patient with toxic levels of methanol was hemodialyzed while receiving an ethanol infusion. It was demonstrated that during the dialysis significant quantities of both ethanol (17.70 gms) and methanol (26.69 gms) were extracted. Also, it was shown that the ethanol did not competetively inhibit the extraction of the methanol. Since ethanol is removed in significant quantities during dialysis, one should increase its infusion rate during hemodialysis and decrease the rate when the patient is not being dialyzed. This would achieve adequate and constant blood levels of ethanol and would satisfactorily inhibit the metabolism of methanol by the liver.