[Deaths in the sobering station in Poznan]

Post mortem examination protocols of the Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, pertaining to deaths occurring in the Sobering Station in Poznan in the years 1956-2008 were selected. In the analyzed period, 117 such cases were identified, what constituted approximately 2 deaths per annum. The majority of deaths occurred in males; women constituted a small percentage of all the cases. Over 3/4 of deaths were seen in patients between 26 and 50 years of life. Acute alcohol intoxication, acute respiratory and circulatory failure and cerebrocranial injuries constituted the main causes of death. Moreover, in few cases, the detained person committed suicide by hanging. Only in a few situations had the deceased patients been previously examined by a doctor in a hospital, but had been refused admission and had been referred to a sobering station. The results show that over 3/4 of deaths in the Poznan Sobering Station was a consequence of misdiagnosis, most frequently concerning unrecognized acute alcohol intoxication, cerebrocranial injuries or acute myocardial infarction. A change of regulations concerning the functioning of sobering stations involving introduction of breathanalyzers for testing blood alcohol levels and implementation of other tests did not result in a decreased number of deaths in sobering stations due to acute alcohol intoxication.