How Can a Forensic Nurse Help in Your DUI Case?
DUI Prevalence According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2020, there were 11,654 deaths from drunk driving crashes, which equates to one person every 45 minutes and/or 32 people per day. This was a 14% increase from 2019. Between 2011 and 2020, on average, 10,500 people died every year due to drunk […]
Alcohol Intoxication or Medical Issue?
Alcohol, trauma, or underlying medical condition? The legal limit of blood alcohol content is set by the US Department of Motor Vehicles at 0.08%. However, not everyone presents the same way clinically, as different individuals have different tolerance levels depending on their level of regular alcohol use. Even the liver eliminates alcohol from the body […]
Auto Brewery Syndrome
What is ABS? Auto brewery syndrome is a rare condition in which the gastrointestinal system produces ethanol through fermentation by fungi or bacteria in the gut. Normal digestion does produce some ethanol, but this process can become pathologic, producing so much that blood alcohol levels are detected. People with ABS can exhibit signs and symptoms […]
The Danger of Microsleep
What is a Microsleep? Have you ever been sitting in front of your computer and dozed off for a brief second, only to be jerked awake by a head-snap? If so, you have experienced a microsleep. These episodes are defined by brief periods of sleep and loss of attention. They can last from a split […]
Are alcoholics really at fault for their crimes?
In April, I covered delirium and noted that there are many underlying etiologies that can cause it. One such etiology is Wernicke encephalopathy. What is encephalopathy? Encephalopathy is a general term describing any disease of the brain that alters the function or structure of the brain. There are many types of encephalopathy and causes. The […]
Involuntary Intoxication when mixing Cocaine and Alcohol…? {MH/Tox}
What if someone knows how cocaine affects them, and they know how alcohol affects them, but not how they can affect them when taken together? The use of both cocaine and alcohol together results in a unique metabolite called cocaethylene. This metabolite stays in the system longer and prevents the reuptake of dopamine resulting in […]
FASD: Legal Implications
Individuals with FASD have difficulty with assessment, judgment, and reasoning, and often repeat the same mistakes multiple times because of their disabilities. They also do not understand the consequences of their actions. These behavioral impairments make someone with FASD more likely to make bad decisions, trust the wrong people, and get in trouble with the […]
What are the effects of FASD?
The most serious and most common cause of mental retardation in the U.S. is fetal alcohol syndrome. The effects of FASD depend on the timing and frequency of alcohol consumption during the pregnancy. Some of the outcomes are: Abnormal facial features Growth defects Brain damage, including mental retardation Heart, lung, and kidney defects Hyperactivity and […]
FASD: Who is at risk?
If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, regardless of timing and amount, she is at risk of having a child with a FASD. Alcohol can affect an embryo before a woman knows she is pregnant. Women who drink early in pregnancy but stop when they discover they are pregnant are still at risk. Women […]
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: What is it?
Prenatal alcohol exposure is the single leading preventable cause of neuro-developmental disorders (Zagorski, 2015). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a blanket term for a number of effects that can occur in an individual who was exposed to alcohol in-utero. FASD affects about 40,000 infants each year (National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, 2014). The consequences […]
