USMLE Ethics Question 8

Q: Jacob is a 37 year old man who is brought to the emergency room by police after being arrested for suspected driving under influence of alcohol. Police requests you to give him sample of his gastric aspirates to prove alcohol consumption and test for other substances. The patient refuses to consent for insertion of a gastric tube. What should you do?

A: Follow the patient's requests. A physician cannot take orders from police. Patient has full right to refuse any medical treatment. A blood alcohol level can be performed. Rules vary from state to state with regards to refusal of breath or blood testing. Some states mandate either of the two while in some states the patient can refuse but will lose their driving license for a variable period of time. For the sake of USMLE I would advice that doing breath alcohol testing or blood alcohol levels should be chosen as the answer.