Head injury in the presence of alcohol intoxication

The difficulty of distinguishing between serious head injury and intoxication is presented in the case of an injured patient whose signs and symptoms were attributed to alcohol withdrawal. This report emphasizes the need for a high level of suspicion for all trauma patients, for all health care providers to be familiar with common forms of life-threatening trauma, and how to distinguish between altered levels of consciousness resulting from alcohol intoxication versus intracranial disorders. This case may also demonstrate that a person's wealth and social influence and an institution's orientation to a medical specialty can affect care giver's decisions.