Reference no: EM133489165

You respond to a call for a 45-year-old male "sick person." As you approach the residence, an emotionally distraught friend meets you in the driveway. He tells you his best friend Earl just poured half a liter of high-quality Russian potato vodka in his stomach tube. Upon entering the house, you notice a half-empty bottle of vodka and a funnel on the table next to your patient's recliner. Earl tells you he pours alcohol in his feeding tube every night. He first says he is just sterilizing his tube, but soon admits he just doesn't like the burn of vodka when he drinks it. Your physical assessment reveals normal vital signs, no signs of trauma, and a normal looking PEG tube. You don't notice any smell of alcohol but your patient appears intoxicated. He refuses to go to the hospital, doesn't call you, and just wants to stay home.

How would you handle this situation? Assume you have ultimate authority and police or medical control will go along with your decision. Be thorough in your answer. Consider legal, ethical, and physiological issues in your response.