Don't blame it on the alcohol! Alcohol and Trauma Outcomes: A 10 ​year retrospective single-center study

Alcohol use is associated with injury. Although ACS guidelines require screening injured patients for alcohol misuse, outcome data remains inconclusive.

This single-center, 10-year (2013-2023) retrospective study examined patients with ISS >15 ​at a Level I trauma center. Patients from an institutional registry were grouped by blood alcohol content (BAC): positive (>80 ​mg/dL, BAC-P) or negative (BAC-N).

Of 517 patients, 401 were BAC-N and 116 BAC-P. BAC-P patients were younger, mostly male, with lower GCS, higher ISS, and higher Shock Indexes (p ​< ​0.001). They required emergency surgery more often (p ​= ​0.023), ICU care (p ​< ​0.001), and had longer hospital stays (12.1 vs. 8.9 days, p ​= ​0.003). Mortality rates were similar between groups. BAC-P patients received more aggressive interventions, possibly mitigating alcohol-related harm.

Though BAC-P trauma patients had more severe injuries and required more aggressive care, the lack of difference in mortality suggests that targeted, evidence-based management strategies may benefit intoxicated trauma patients.