Convulsions associated with postoperative abstinence from alcohol

A 37 year old Caucasian male with known alcohol dependence, was anaesthetised for the repair of a paraumbilical hernia on a day stay basis. On discharge he was instructed not to drink alcohol for 24 h. The patient developed acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms within 48 h. Alcohol abuse is a common problem. Patients with this problem occasionally present to the day surgery unit for short surgical procedures under general anaesthesia or sedation. These procedures are, often carried out in the day unit, as long as the patient has no physical problem attributable to alcohol. However, there is a potential for some patients to develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These can be serious, as there is, in the majority of cases, no mechanism for the early detection of the withdrawal symptoms and signs. We report a case of postoperative convulsions associated with alcohol withdrawal following the repair of a paraumbilical hernia on a day stay basis. We present a short review of related literature. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.