title: False-positive ethanol blood concentrations leading to clinical confusion on Christmas Day.
abstract: A case of altered consciousness in which ethanol ingestion was one of the differential diagnoses is described. Three separate blood samples were conveyed to the hospital biochemistry laboratory and each returned a positive value when assayed via an indirect, enzymatic method. The family strongly denied alcohol ingestion and hence, a few days later, the samples were conveyed to an external laboratory using a 'specific', chromatographic method. These samples were all reported as negative for ethanol. Alternative causes of altered consciousness were restricted by the false-positive ethanol laboratory results.
authors.affiliation: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 28 Woodville Rd, Woodville Sth, SA 5000, Australia. terry.jones@health.sa.gov.au
authors.forename: Terry E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D003221:Confusion / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003243:Consciousness; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006693:Holidays; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol