In this study, the rate of brain CT performance did not differ si

In this study, the rate of brain CT performance did not differ significantly between patients with positive or negative BAC and was not related to the final diagnosis (subarachnoid haemorrhage, subdural haemorrhage, epidural haemorrhage and intracranial haemorrhage), irrespective of injury severity. CH5424802 ic50 However, the percentage of patients with positive

findings was lower among patients with positive BAC, particularly among those with an ISS of <16. Similar results have been reported, noting a relative risk of performing brain CT of 1.18 when trauma patients with an ISS of <16 are intoxicated.23 The results of this study also imply that alcohol intoxication in trauma patients may be associated with an unacceptable burden on hospital resources as well as an increased cost of healthcare. This study has some limitations. First, the combination of psychoactive drugs and alcohol may further increase the risk of having an accident,24 25 and potential drug users may have refused to undertake drug tests, which may have led to a selection bias. However, in our study, this analytical bias is thought to be random. Second, although BAC measurement is the most commonly used method to determine whether trauma patients have consumed alcohol and all drivers involved in traffic accidents were compelled by law to undergo a test

to estimate BAC, a few patients may have refused to undergo an actual BAC test after a breathalyser confirmed the presence of alcohol. Accordingly, such patients may be entered and analysed with the wrong group because the breathalyser results would not have been noted in the medical records; however, in our experience, such patients are rare. In addition, the lack of exact time from the injury to an alcohol test

may result in a bias of the acquired data; however, according to Taiwan government data from January 2009 to June 2009, the average transport time was about 12 min26 and from our yet published study, which demonstrated that the mean transport time of the patients transported by emergency medical service (EMS) to our hospital was 18.3±7.9 min, the bias may be minimal. Brefeldin_A Finally, the lack of clear and strict indication for performing a brain CT examination in these intoxicated patients by the on-duty physicians in the emergency department may result in some bias in this study. Conclusion This study revealed that patients who consumed alcohol tended to have a lower GCS score and less severe injuries. Among those with an ISS of <16, alcohol intoxication was associated with a shorter LOS. Given the significantly low percentage of positive findings for alcohol consumption, brain CT may be overused in less severely injured patients. Supplementary Material Author’s manuscript: Click here to view.(1.2M, pdf) Reviewer comments: Click here to view.

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