Protracted alcohol withdrawal delirium.

Protracted alcohol withdrawal delirium is infrequent, but when it occurs significant morbidity can be anticipated. In this report, a case of protracted alcohol withdrawal delirium is presented. The patient's course was complicated by intracerebral and subdural hemorrhages, sedative-hypnotic drug synergism resulting in respiratory compromise, the failure of benzodiazepines to prevent delirium or shorten its duration, and the onset of Wernicke's encephalopathy.