Citation

McCormick T, Levine M, Knox O, Claudius I. Pediatrics 2013; 131(2): e604-7.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2012-1652

PMID

23319534

Abstract

The differential diagnosis for the infant presenting with an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) is broad. Toxic ingestions are a relatively uncommon cause of an ALTE, although several over-the-counter, prescription, and illicit drugs have been implicated. We present 2 cases of ethanol intoxication in infants as a previously unreported cause of an ALTE. Additionally, serial ethanol levels for these patients offer novel insight into the pharmacokinetics of ethanol metabolism in infants. Ethanol ingestion may be an underrecognized cause of an ALTE and should be considered if the history or physical examination is suggestive.

Language: en