Last Call: Ethanol Metabolism and the Implications for Emergency Department Clinicians Managing Patients With Extreme Ethanol Intoxication

The legal consumption of alcohol at a drinking age of 21 years and the accepting, ubiquitous nature of our society has caused alcohol consumption to become highly prevalent in our society. To this avail, emergency departments will continue to see a greater number of intoxicated patients, and it is imperative that clinicians remain up to date about treatment strategies and general management of the acutely intoxicated individual. This article expounds on many of the subtle presentations that may be featured by the intoxicated patient and discusses the current treatment modalities and pitfalls utilized by today's emergency clinician.