Blood alcohol concentration and self-reported alcohol ingestion in acute poisoned patients who visited an emergency department

Abstract

BackgroundMany acute poisoned patients have co-ingested alcohol in the emergency department (ED). This study aimed to estimate the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of acute poisoned patients who visited an ED by age and gender distribution and to determine whether it is possible to obtain self-reports of alcohol ingestion among poisoned patients.MethodA retrospective medical chart review was conducted for all patients who visited the ED with acute poisoning between January 2004 and February 2008. Data regarding the patient’s age, gender, BAC, self-reported alcohol ingestion, poison ingested, time elapsed since poison exposure, presence of suicide attempts, and self-reported alcohol ingestion were collected. Patients were classified into two groups based on serum alcohol levels (≤10 mg/dl, >10 mg/dl).ResultsOf the 255 subjects, 88 subjects (34.5%) were included in the non-alcohol group and 167 subjects (65.5%) were included in the alcohol group. 227 subjects (89.0%) showed suicide intention. Using the 201 subjects who completed the self-report of alcohol ingestion, self-report resulted in 96.6% sensitivity and 86.7% specificity for the assessment of alcohol ingestion. The positive and negative predictive values for self-report were 91.2% and 94.7%, respectively. The median (interquartile range) BAC of the 97 males in the sample was 85.0 (10.0-173.5) mg/dl, and that of the 158 females was 32.0 (4.0-137.5) mg/dl (p = 0.010). The distribution of age in the groups was significantly different between the alcohol and non-alcohol groups (p = 0.035), and there was a significant difference in the mean BAC with respect to age for males (p = 0.003).ConclusionThis study showed that over two-thirds of patients presenting with acute poisoning had a BAC > 10 mg/dl. Most of patients visited by suicide attempt. Males had a higher BAC than did females. Self-reported alcohol ingestion in acute poisoned patients showed high sensitivity and specificity.

The Blood Alcohol Concentration Testing Emergency Room Investigation Analysis Study: A 1-Year Review of Blood Alcohol Concentration Testing in an Emergency Department

“…It was also observed that the average BAC in males was higher. These findings are in keeping with those of Woo et al [19].…”

Identifying alcohol problems among suicide attempters visiting the emergency department

“…Therefore, the early detection of drinking problems and early interventions for suicide attempters who visit the emergency department (ED) are important to reduce the risk of suicide reattempt. However, among suicide attempters, obtaining the exact related history is often difficult because of mental confusion or physical problems, and they tend to under-report or hide their problems [12, 13]. Difficulties in detecting alcohol problems among suicide attempters in emergency situations include limited time, manpower, and treatment based only on acute symptoms.…”

Effect of alcohol use on emergency department length of stay among minimally injured patients based on mechanism of injury: multicenter observational study

“…First, we identified the alcohol-related group based on the self-reported use of alcohol. However, self-reported data has proven to be valid information in several studies including in Korea [ 18 , 19 ]. In addition, self-reported drinking could be more inclusive, because blood alcohol concentration could be affected by the amount of time passed between the injury and arrival at the ED [ 20 ].…”