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Gaze nystagmus and blood alcoho
Author(s) -
Goding George S.,
Dobie Robert A.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198607000-00001
Subject(s) - nystagmus , blood alcohol , alcohol intoxication , alcohol , gaze , medicine , alcoholic intoxication , anesthesia , audiology , poison control , psychology , emergency medicine , injury prevention , chemistry , biochemistry , psychoanalysis
Forty‐six patients in an emergency room (ER) setting and 159 people suspected of driving while intoxicated (DWI) had their blood alcohol concentrations estimated by the angle of onset of horizontal gaze nystagmus and confirmed by blood alcohol analysis or breathalcohol analysis (BAA) tests. In the ER group, 25/26 (96%) of legally intoxicated patients (blood alcohol concentration >.10% w/v) had an estimation consistent with intoxication. There were no cases in which the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was incorrectly estimated to be>.10% w/v in the absence of other drugs. In DWI suspects there was a correlation of .878 between estimated BAC and BAA results. Three subjects were incorrectly classified as intoxicated. No subjects with estimated BAC <.10% w/v were legally intoxicated by BAA testing. Alcohol gaze nystagmus is presented as an effective tool for estimating the BAC in pure alcoholic intoxication.