Objective To study the influence of storage containers on blood alcohol content (BAC) so as to provide scientific evidence for judgments on driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI).
Methods A purposive sampling method was adopted to collect 3 copies of cardiac chamber blood which were then stored in anticoagulant vacuum tubes, ordinary vacuum tubes and common blood collection tubes, respectively, from the drivers who died in traffic accidents in January, 2011. BACs were tested immediately and 20 drivers' blood samples whose BACs were greater than 20 mg/100 mL were chosen as study samples.
Results The BACs in three kinds of storage containers were significantly different (P<0.01), i.e. anticoagulant vacuum tube < ordinary vacuum tube < common blood collection tube (P<0.01).
Conclusion Anticoagulant vacuum tubes affect BACs least in all the three storage containers studied, and therefore, should be chosen as storage containers for blood samples to ensure fair and just judgments on DUI or DWI.
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