Trauma patients intoxicated prior to injury more likely to survive than sober patients

Patients who suffered traumatic injuries while sober are less likely to survive than patients who have suffered similar traumatic injuries while intoxicated, according to a recently published study.

The research was carried out at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and published in the October edition of The American Surgeon.

According to the study, researchers surveyed 7,985 trauma patients of similar age and with similar injuries to determine if the consumption of alcohol prior to injury affected the outcome of their respective cases. The investigators found that 7% of the sober patients died, as compared to just 1% of the patients who had been drinking.

“This study is not encouraging the use of alcohol,” Christian de Virgilio, MD, principal investigator for the study, said in a press release. “It is seeking to further explore earlier studies that had found alcohol may improve the body’s response to severe injuries.”

Previous studies have found that alcohol contributes to about one-third of all trauma-related deaths and that patients who have abused alcohol for a long period of time have lower survival rates.

Still, recent studies have also found alcohol consumption may protect against death by changing the chemical response to injury.

“Given these findings, more research is needed to determine if there is some role for alcohol in the management of trauma patients,” de Virgilio said in the release.

Reference:
Copies of the study, “Elevated blood alcohol level may be protective of trauma patient mortality,” may be obtained by contacting Laura Mecoy at 310-546-5860; e-mail: lmecoy@issuesmanagement.com.