A 26-year-old alcoholic was so eager to relieve himself that he stole several bottles of hand sanitizer so he could get drunk on the alcohol inside.
The anonymous patient from France visited the emergency room near his home complaining of severe abdominal pain.
Despite a normal examination and painkillers, the patient continued to insist that the pain had not subsided and that he was becoming increasingly restless.
When further tests and more doctors found nothing, the man’s roommate told a nurse that the patient had been taking bottles of hand sanitizer, hiding them in his bag and drinking them all the time.
Doctors found several bottles of disinfectant in his bag, about 1.5 of which had been consumed.
An unnamed 26-year-old patient in France suffered alcohol poisoning after his addiction led him to steal hand sanitizer and drink
The man admitted to feigning pain to gain access to the hand sanitizer, which was 80 percent pure alcohol, as he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms as a result of his addiction.
When the patient first arrived at the emergency room, doctors wrote that he was irritable and “verbally aggressive at times.”
They found his abdominal examination and vital signs to be normal, although he had “generally poor hygiene” and a slightly elevated heart rate.
He was given several IV medications, including morphine for pain, although he remained agitated. When the patient continued to complain of pain, other doctors sent him for an abdominal scan, which revealed no possible cause for his pain but did show that he had a fatty liver, often a sign of alcohol addiction.
Blood tests showed slightly elevated liver values, indicating liver damage or inflammation.
Shortly after the tests, the patient’s roommate broke the news about the hand sanitizer. Hospital staff found seven 16-ounce bottles in his bag, and about one and a half were gone in about four to six hours.
Further blood tests revealed that the patient’s blood alcohol content was 0.2 percent, or two and a half times the legal limit.
The doctors said that this hand sanitizer contains 80 percent alcohol. A can of beer contains only five percent. This means that the one and a half bottles that this patient drank is equal to 24 drinks.
The patient admitted that he drank the hand sanitizer to relieve his alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The patient’s medical team warned that alcoholics can become so desperate that they engage in odd drinking behaviors to satisfy their cravings.
Each bottle contained approximately 16 times more pure alcohol than average beer.
Doctors treating the patient warned of an increase in such incidents as the Covid pandemic made hand sanitiser more widely available, especially in hospitals.
“Hand sanitizers are undoubtedly essential tools to combat infection and protect both the user and others,” the doctors wrote.
‘It is a major challenge to ensure the safety of alcoholic patients in the ED while maintaining good hand hygiene policies.’
For example, a study found that calls to poison control centers have increased by 79 percent since the start of the pandemic.
According to the most recent data from the CDC, deaths from excessive alcohol use increased 29 percent from 2020 to 2021, compared to 2016 to 2017.
The National Capital Poison Center advises contacting your local poison control center immediately if you ingest hand sanitizer
“With the increased production and availability of hand sanitizer, there has been an increase in its misuse in cases of poisoning. Physicians and staff should always be vigilant to prevent misuse,” the doctors wrote.
The team also called for more sanitizer dispensers that are securely mounted to walls and monitored by staff. They also warned that drug addicts “tend to be manipulative.”
The National Capital Poison Center warns that ingesting hand sanitizer can slow heart rate and breathing, potentially putting patients into a coma. It has also been shown to cause liver and kidney damage.
The agency advises contacting your local poison control center immediately if you ingest hand sanitizer.
Doctors gave the patient fluids and infusions of vitamins B1, B3 and B6 to reduce the toxicity of the alcohol and to hydrate him. He was hospitalized for 24 hours for observation.
When he was discharged, he was referred to addiction specialists.
The case was published in the American Journal of Case Reports.
