Alcohols (medicine)
Alcohols, in various forms, are used within medicine as an antiseptic, disinfectant, and antidote. Alcohols applied to the skin are used to disinfect skin before a needle stick and before surgery. They may be used both to disinfect the skin of the person and as hand sanitizer of the healthcare providers. They can also be used to clean other areas and in mouthwashes. Taken by mouth or injected into a vein, ethanol is used to treat methanol or ethylene glycol toxicity when fomepizole is not available.
Ethanol is a commonly used medical alcohol. | |
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| Routes of administration | Topical, intravenous, by mouth |
| Drug class | Antiseptics, disinfectants, antidotes |
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| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Metabolism | Liver |
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Side effects of alcohols applied to the skin include skin irritation. Care should be taken with electrocautery, as ethanol is flammable. Types of alcohol used include ethanol, denatured ethanol, 1-propanol, and isopropyl alcohol. Alcohols are effective against a range of microorganisms, though they do not inactivate spores. Concentrations of 60 to 90% work best.
Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic as early as 1363, with evidence to support its use becoming available in the late 1800s. Commercial formulations of hand sanitizer or with other agents such as chlorhexidine are available.