Medicina Comunitária e Educação em Saúde

Abstrato

An unusual cause for acute confusion in police custody

Matthew Ralph Peel

The case study outlines the case of a 57-year-old male who was arrested for drunk-driving after drinking several pints of lager. After several hours detained in police custody he became acutely confused. Clinical examination was unremarkable and there was no obvious cause for confusion. He was sent to the Emergency Department when he remained confused, had a generalised seizure and was found to be severely hyponatraemic. He was admitted to critical care for hypertonic saline and diagnosed with beer potomania.