About an Acute Ethanol Intoxication Case of an Infant

Abstract

In addition to the regular difficulties and particularities of pediatric intoxications, 1 medical and forensic boundaries are often thin in the case of very young children (infants), making clinical-biological dialogue essential. This situation has become more common since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic owing to variations in childcare facilities, systems, and confinement periods. 2 Here, we report a case of acute ethanol intoxication in an infant to illustrate these issues.One Friday afternoon, a 10month-old boy (9.66 kg; with no medical history and normal psychomotor development) slept abnormally for over 6 hours after intake of his midday feeding bottle with his grandmother (who cared for him at his parents' home). At approximately 7:00 PM, his mother, who was worried about his unusual sleepiness and hypotonia, called for medical assistance. At the time of admission to the emergency department, the infant was hemodynamically stable and in good general condition. On admission, biochemical results were normal (including pH 7.34, blood glucose 1.28 g/L) except for elevated lactates: 5.2 mmol/L (normal range 0.5-2.86 mmol/L). However, neurological examination showed that the infant shifted between normal and lost consciousness. The cerebral scan was normal. A complete biological assessment was requested, and the only biological disorder found was hyperlactataemia. The remainder of his examination results were otherwise unremarkable.Because of (1) the sudden occurrence of unexplained neurological disorders and (2) the child's family environment, including concerns about substance abuse