It is possible that you took a breathalyzer test if you were arrested for drunk driving. A significant problem is that the test result could be inaccurate if you have heartburn. The difference between being charged or freed from custody can be as minor as one breathalyzer reading.
GERD is a term for the most severe type of heartburn. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Due to the way alcohol is broken down and processed by the body, this type of heartburn can produce a falsely significant reading on a breath test machine used to assess blood alcohol content or breathalyzer readings in DUI cases. If you believe that GERD impacted your breathalyzer test results, you can have a claim by contacting Bruno Lilly LeClere, a Fort Collins dui lawyer.
How Acid Reflux Can Impact The Reading of a Breathalyzer
Stomach acid and other contents might reflux back up into your mouth and esophagus when you have acid reflux. This can result in vomiting, a foul taste in your mouth, and a burning sensation in the chest. However, it may also bring up a little alcohol that has yet to dissolve fully. Mouth alcohol is the term for this partially broken-down alcohol, which could affect breathalyzer test results.
A breathalyzer works by recognizing the chemical component ethanol to figure out how much alcohol is in your breath. Alcoholic drinks involve ethanol, which the body releases through sweat, urine, and breath. However, ethanol is not the only chemical that a breathalyzer can detect.
What Happens if Your Acid Reflux Gets Your Arrested for DUI?
You may report to the arresting officer that you are suffering from acid reflux disease. Perhaps they might provide you with a different test, more accurate for acid reflux sufferers, like a blood or urine test. In order to help eliminate any oral alcohol that could be present, you might also ask the officer to wait a minimum of 20 minutes after your most current acid reflux episode before conducting the test.
Inform your lawyer if you think your heartburn was responsible for the incorrect alcohol breath test outcomes. They will then want the condition investigated. An endoscopy is the first verifying test that is done.
A tiny scope is inserted through the throat and mouth into the esophagus and stomach (usually while the patient is sedated) during an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), a type of endoscopy for examining the inside surfaces of the stomach, esophagus, and duodenum.
After the test, the specialist will review the results (including photos) to see if there are any indications of damage from acid overflowing from the stomach into the esophagus.Â