J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2009 Feb;20(1):115-121.

Effect of Alcohol Ingestion on Clinical Features of Acute Drug Intoxicated Patients

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. drme@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to see the effect of alcohol ingestion on clinical features of acute drug intoxicated patients.
METHODS
We prospectively investigated drug intoxicated patients who visited the emergency department 6 hours after acute poisoning from January 2004 to December 2007. Patients were classified into two groups according to serum alcohol levels: an alcohol group (serum alcohol level>10 mg/dl) and a non-alcohol group. The type of toxic material, age, sex, duration of time to arrive to the emergency department (ED) after poisoning, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, base excess level, AST level, serum creatinine level, cause of poisoning, suicide attempt, past psychiatric history, discharge against medical advice rate, and admission rate were checked. The initial and final Poisoning Severity Score (PSS), the Glasgow coma scale, the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), the usage of a mechanical ventilator, and death rate were also checked.
RESULTS
The study enrolled 222 intoxicated patients of which 75 fell into the non-alcohol group and 147 into the alcohol group. Alcohol ingestion of acute poisoning in males was higher than in females. The AST level and discharge against medical advice rates in the alcohol group were higher than the non-alcohol group. The base excess level, length of stay in ICU, past psychiatric history rate, and admission rates in the non-alcohol group were higher than the alcohol group. The PSS were not correlated with alcohol consumption between the two groups.
CONCLUSION
Alcohol ingestion is not associated with PSS. However, alcohol ingestion is commonly found in acute drug intoxicated patients. The discharge against medical advice rate in the alcohol group was higher than the non-alcohol group.

Keyword

Alcohol Drinking; Poisoning; Emergencies; Severity of Illness Index

MeSH Terms

Alcohol Drinking
Arterial Pressure
Creatinine
Eating
Emergencies
Female
Glasgow Coma Scale
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Length of Stay
Male
Prospective Studies
Respiratory Rate
Severity of Illness Index
Suicide
Ventilators, Mechanical
Creatinine
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