Otorhinolaryngologic examinations reveal signs of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Such inflammation results in the production of secretions which are derived from blood and, as such, contain blood products as well as alcohol at a concentration significantly greater than that of expired air. These secretions in the upper airways would contaminate the breath specimen prior to its presentation for analysis, resulting in an erroneously elevated reading due to the presence of extraneous material. This is a form of pre-analytic error.