Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Alcohol-Related Visits to US Emergency Departments, 2001-2011
Peter M Mullins1, Maryann Mazer-Amirshahi2, Jesse M Pines3,4
1Center for Healthcare Innovation and Policy Research, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, 2100 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037, USA petermmullins@gmail.com.
Aims:
Alcohol intoxication is a source of significant illness and injury commonly resulting in emergency department (ED) visits. We characterize recent trends in alcohol-related visits to US EDs using nationally representative data.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective review of data on national ED visits among patients aged 18 years or older with alcohol intoxication between 2001 and 2011 using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Demographic and resource utilization trends in alcohol-related visits were examined. We also assessed ED length of stay (LOS) across the study period, as well as the total hours spent on ED care for alcohol-related complaints.
Results:
Between 2001-2002 and 2010-2011, alcohol-related visits increased from 2,459,748 to 3,856,346 (P = 0.049). Utilization of resources such as laboratory tests, medications and radiography increased, with the use of advanced imaging (i.e. computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) increasing 232.2% (P < 0.001) from 2001-2002 to 2010-2011. Overall LOS increased 16.1% (P = 0.028), while LOS among patients admitted to the hospital increased 24.9% (P = 0.076). Total alcohol-related hours spent in EDs nationwide increased from 5.6 million in 2001 to 11.6 million in 2011, an increase of 108.5% (P < 0.001) compared with an increase in overall ED hours of 54.0% (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Alcohol-related ED visits are increasing at a greater rate than overall ED visits and represent a growing burden on hospital resources.
More Related Videos
08:45Modeling Alcohol Consumption in Rodents Using Two-Bottle Choice Home Cage Drinking and Microstructural Analysis
Published on: November 8, 2024
05:40The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Hypothesis Test for Test of Independence
H0: The two variables (factors)...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Esophageal Varices-I: Introduction
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios