Distribution of ethanol in the human gastrointestinal tract

Ethanol was administered acutely in a dose of 0.8 g/kg body wt by the oral or intravenous route to seven subjects after gastrointestinal intubation. After oral administration, levels of ethanol greater than 400 mg/100 ml were maintained for up to 60 min in the stomach, duodenum, and proximal jejunum, whereas there was a moderate increase in the ileal level in parallel to the serum concentration. By either route of administration, after 120 to 300 min, the gastrointestinal and serum ethanol levels were similar and declined to parallel. Persistence of ethanol in the gastrointestinal tract suggests continuous equilibration with the vascular space, which may account for some of the observed effects of ethanol on intestinal function.