[Acid-base and electrolyte correlations in blood and fluid in alcoholic delirium (author's transl)]

The gas and electrolyte homeostatic changes in arterialized capillary blood were studied in 51 patients with acute alcoholic psychosis. In 29 patients the blood and fluid data were correlated. It was established that acute alcohol delirium is mostly accompanied by alkalosis of metabolic, respiratory, or mixed origin. Irrespective of the approximate uniformity of blood and fluid changes, there is a distinctly expressed imbalance between the different parameters. After subsidence of psychotic symptoms (7-10 days after admittance) fluid acid-base fluctuations were to some extent still observable. They manifested greater resistance in comparison with blood.