“Elevated Osmolal Gap in a case of Multiple Myeloma”

The estimated serum osmolality is a measurement of solutes in the blood including sodium, glucose, and urea, but also includes ethanol and toxic alcohols (e.g., methanol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol) when present. These rarely measured toxic alcohols can elevate the serum osmolality giving the true measured osmolality. The difference between that and a calculated osmolality is the osmolal gap which can be elevated in many clinical scenarios such as renal failure, ingestion of toxic alcohols, diabetic ketoacidosis, shock, and others.
Source: The Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Selected Topics: Toxicology Source Type: research