Prevalence of Alcohol Exposure in Burns-related Injuries

The aim of this registry-based cohort study was to quantify the prevalence, injury characteristics, and outcomes of alcohol exposure in burn-related injuries. All patients ≥ 18 years presenting to The Alfred Emergency & Trauma Centre, a major trauma center in Victoria, Australia, between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2022 and recorded in the Victorian Adult Burns Service registry were included. An explicit chart review was performed to verify retrieved data, with alcohol exposure coded when documented in medical records, laboratory evidence of a blood alcohol concentration > 2 mmol/L, or recorded in discharge ICD-10-AM codes. Among 1587 eligible patients, 251 (15.8%) had been exposed to alcohol prior to injury. Patients with alcohol exposure at the time of burn-related injury had higher rates of admission to the intensive care unit (28% vs 16.4%, P < .001) and longer median hospital admission (10.1 vs 7.7 days, P < .001). The significant impact of alcohol exposure on the overall health burden of burn injuries highlights the need for standardized and robust alcohol testing protocols to support targeted strategies to reduce the burden of alcohol-related burn injuries.