The Impact of Medical Conditions on BAC Test Results

The Impact of Medical Conditions on BAC Test Results

Under Georgia law, any driver in the state automatically gives their consent for chemical testing of their blood alcohol concentration (BAC). While officers commonly utilize breath tests when investigating DUI cases, blood testing may also be utilized as a viable solution.

Medical conditions can alter BAC test results, having a dramatic effect on your legal case. An experienced Atlanta DUI lawyer can assist in challenging any abnormal blood or breath test results that arise during testing.

Medications

Accurate breath test results are all too frequently the result of DUI charges, and may be caused by numerous reasons. A DUI attorney should look closely at any police procedural errors or the condition of those taking the test, in addition to environmental conditions like temperature, humidity and altitude as potential factors in inaccurate breath test results.

Medication may also influence breathing ability and lead to falsely high readings on a breathalyzer test, including asthma medications such as Albuterol (trade names include Salmeterol and Budesonide) that remain in the airways longer. Furthermore, digestive disorders like Acid Reflux Disorder or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can produce excess acids which lead to false positive breathalyzer readings.

Mouthwashes and sprays containing alcohol-rich solutions such as mouthwash can alter a breathalyzer’s reading, while people living with diabetes may develop ketones, which may produce false high readings on breathalyzers.

While breath and urine tests can provide some indication of someone’s blood alcohol concentration, Georgia law dictates that conducting a blood test is the most accurate method. A qualified healthcare provider must draw blood from you for testing according to state mandated testing procedures; unlike breath and urine tests, which you may refuse, no refusal options exist under implied consent laws in Georgia when conducting blood testing procedures.

Blood tests provide more precise results than breath and urine tests as they analyze directly your bodily fluids for analysis. Unfortunately, however, blood testing requires visiting a medical lab as opposed to simply breathing into a device at home or working through your computer at home.

Understand that even if you decline a blood test, police officers can still use an affidavit or search warrant to force medical professionals to draw blood for the officer if they suspect you of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Your Atlanta DUI lawyer may challenge its accuracy by looking at whether the BAC equipment was calibrated correctly and providing evidence regarding whether medical conditions or medication may have had an effect on its results.

Intoxilyzer Machines

When stopped by police officers, they may ask you to blow into a breathalyzer machine which measures your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of 0.088% and provide test results that exceed this amount – in this case resulting in DUI charges being filed in Georgia. A skilled Atlanta DUI lawyer may use various factors against breathalyzer results to challenge their reliability.

Breath tests were created to be administered under ideal environmental conditions by trained administrators; unfortunately, however, this is rarely the case during DUI stops and breathalyzer tests; instead results may often be unreliable due to police procedural errors or the condition of those being tested.

BAC testing machines are costly and complex machines that require extensive maintenance and calibration, making them susceptible to the influence of many variables, including environmental conditions, the type and quantity of food consumed beforehand, mouth alcohol levels in the mouth prior to testing, medications taken by mouth alcohol level test subjects prior to using machine, improper machine operation and numerous other variables.

For any breath test to be valid, it must comply with a set of stringent standards. These may include being administered by trained personnel and waiting a certain period before taking multiple tests; in addition, ambient air must first be assessed for quality before calibrating the machine; otherwise it could produce false positive or negative results. Failing to comply may lead to untrustworthy or misleading data being provided, possibly leading to false positive/negative results that contradict expectations.

As technology develops, producing accurate and reliable BAC test results becomes even harder. Therefore, legal professionals must remain up-to-date with developments in this area of law; an experienced Atlanta DUI lawyer can use cutting-edge technological advancements as leverage in courtroom.

As previously discussed, some individuals with gastroesophageal reflux disease or other health problems can keep alcohol in their stomach for extended periods, which causes burps or hiccups that register as breathalyzer results and produce inaccurate test results.

Breath Tests

BAC tests are the go-to way of measuring intoxication while driving and can be administered by police officers when an individual is arrested on suspicion of DUI. While these tests provide valuable data to law enforcement officials, they’re not perfect; various medical conditions may impact results and make them less reliable than intended. Knowing these issues is key for those facing DUI charges as well as legal professionals handling breath or blood test cases.

One of the primary DUI offenses in Georgia is driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above the legal limit of 0.08%. To establish your violation, prosecutors need evidence showing both that you were driving and that your BAC exceeded this legal threshold; one common method they use to do this is via breath or blood tests – though these results can often be challenged due to various grounds.

Breath testing devices estimate a driver’s BAC by measuring how much alcohol is in their breath; blood tests directly measure their BAC in their bloodstream. No matter what kind of test is administered, those charged with DUI should immediately contact an experienced Atlanta DUI lawyer as soon as they’ve been accused. A lawyer with experience can create an aggressive defense that questions the accuracy of either breath or blood tests and/or raise other potential weaknesses against their clients’ cases.

Breath tests may misread an individual’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Diabetes patients, in particular, may experience acetone buildup that registers as ethanol on breath tests; and people suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD often find stomach contents entering the esophagus and carrying alcohol vapors with it, thus inflating breathalyzer readings.

One other factor that could skew test results incorrectly is residual mouth alcohol produced from drinking certain beverages or using mouthwashes, breath sprays or cough syrups. Residual mouth alcohol stays in oral tissues for around 15-20 minutes after an individual drinks and may register on breath tests as high blood alcohol readings.

Blood Tests

People frequently get blood tests in order to catch early symptoms of illness and disease, monitor ongoing treatments, and track general health. While blood tests are an invaluable asset of our medical system, they may still be inaccurate for various reasons; such as taking antibiotics, antidepressants or birth control pills which interfere with how your liver breaks down alcohol; eating full meals may alter results as fatty foods cause your body to process alcohol more slowly than expected.

Laboratory errors may also compromise blood and breath tests. Such errors include inadequate sterilization and preservatives, coagulation issues, vial mix-ups or fermentation of the sample blood sample. Although Georgia BAC laws set the legal limit at 0.08%, an arresting officer could still file DUI charges based on his subjective observations of your driving.

Police who suspect you of driving while impaired will request samples of either your breath or blood to test for alcohol and other drugs. Blood tests tend to be more accurate, although blood samples may be subject to lab errors that might make inaccurate readings possible.

Mistakes may not become evident until after receiving your test results and they can have significant repercussions. A low blood sugar level, for instance, can lead to an accumulation of acetone in your system that registers as ethanol on a breathalyzer machine, giving an inaccurate reading. People suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease are also susceptible to experiencing this misreading because their stomach contents enter their esophagus and compromise the breath test results.

Understanding BAC testing and what medical conditions could impede its results is the key to making smart decisions when facing DUI arrests based on breath or blood tests results. An experienced Atlanta DUI attorney should review your circumstances, challenge field sobriety test results, and devise an aggressive defense strategy to defend your rights and ensure your best possible defense strategy is put in place against these charges.