A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. ~Author Unknown
Too much alcohol often causes trauma, complicates with the assessment of injuries, and interferes with patient care. Despite the fact that 20 to 37 percent of accident cases in trauma centers are alcohol-related, some trauma patients are reluctant to self report their drinking.
A new study has found that testing for alcohol biomarkers – particularly blood alcohol levels – can identify high-risk patients admitted to trauma centers who had denied excessive drinking. Results of the study will be published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
“Alcohol use is associated with higher rates of motor vehicle accidents, falls, injuries inflicted by weapons and workplace injuries than in persons not using alcohol,” said Michael F. Fleming, professor of family medicine and author of the study. “In addition, patients processed through emergency may not be aware of their injury severity until alcohol is out of their system, and in persons suffering from head trauma it is difficult to assess changes in mental status.”
“Alcohol is the single most robust risk factor for physical trauma,” said Jean-Bernard Daeppen, professor of medicine at Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland.
“An elevated blood alcohol level is not just having a glass before trauma. Most patients admitted with positive blood alcohol levels after trauma have an alcohol-use disorder, often severe.”