Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background Non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is most commonly caused by a ruptured aneurysm. Risk factors for rupture include hypertension, smoking, and substance use, but the relationship between alcohol use and clinical outcomes after SAH is poorly understood. The objective of this population-based, longitudinal, study is to characterize the relationships between alcohol use, alcohol dependence, and adverse clinical outcomes following SAH. Methods Patients with alcohol use disorder (International Classification of Disease 10th Revision Diagnostic Code F10) in the TriNetX Research Network were compared to patients with no substance use disorders (None of F10-F19). Short-term (30-day) outcomes were assessed among patients with blood alcohol concentrations tested on the day of SAH. Outcome frequencies and Cox proportional hazard models used propensity score matching on demographics, comorbidities, blood counts, substance use, and SAH severity. Results We identified 216,894 patients with non-traumatic SAH. Of these, 11,648 were tested for alcohol and 27,079 patients had alcohol use disorder. Blood alcohol levels of 1–100 mg/dL and above at the time of SAH were associated with decreased 30-day mortality in acute alcohol use compared to 0 mg/dL, and alcohol concentrations of 201–300 mg/dL and higher were further protective relative to 1–100 mg/dL. Patients with alcohol use disorder exhibited an increased hazard of mortality (HR = 1.175 [95% CI: 1.129, 1.223]; p < 0.0001) compared to patients with no substance use disorders (n = 151,377). Patients with severe alcohol dependence had an even higher hazard of mortality compared to patients with mild/moderate use disorder (HR = 1.139 [1.128, 1.150] p < 0.0001). Conclusions In patients with non-traumatic SAH, alcohol in the blood at the time of SAH is protective against 30-day mortality, and increased alcohol concentration adds increased protection. Paradoxically, alcohol use disorder leads to a worsening of clinical outcomes, including mortality. There appears to be a significant dose-dependent effect of severity of alcohol dependence on mortality.

Alcohol has been implicated in the high mortality in Central and Eastern Europe but the magnitude of its effect, and whether it is due to regular high intake or episodic binge drinking remain unclear. The aim of this paper was to estimate the contribution of alcohol to mortality in four Central and Eastern European countries. We used data from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe is a prospective multi-centre cohort study in Novosibirsk (Russia), Krakow (Poland), Kaunas (Lithuania) and six Czech towns. Random population samples of 34,304 men and women aged 45-69 years in 2002-2005 were followed up for a median 7 years. Drinking volume, frequency and pattern were estimated from the graduated frequency questionnaire. Deaths were ascertained using mortality registers. In 230,246 person-years of follow-up, 2895 participants died from all causes, 1222 from cardiovascular diseases (CVD), 672 from coronary heart disease (CHD) and 489 from pre-defined alcohol-related causes (ARD). In fully-adjusted models, abstainers had 30-50 % increased mortality risk compared to light-to-moderate drinkers. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) in men drinking on average ≥60 g of ethanol/day(3 % of men) were 1.23 (95 % CI 0.95-1.59) for all-cause, 1.38 (0.95-2.02) for CVD, 1.64 (1.02-2.64) for CHD and 2.03 (1.28-3.23) for ARD mortality. Corresponding HRs in women drinking on average ≥20 g/day (2 % of women) were 1.92 (1.25-2.93), 1.74 (0.76-3.99), 1.39 (0.34-5.76) and 3.00 (1.26-7.10). Binge drinking increased ARD mortality in men only. Mortality was associated with high average alcohol intake but not binge drinking, except for ARD in men.

Introduction: In North America, suicide ranks among the top causes of death in individuals 15-60 years of age. In this study we aimed to determine whether an emergency department (ED) presentation for suicidal behaviors accompanied by acute alcohol intoxication was associated with increased six-month suicide or all-cause mortality compared to non-intoxicated presentations of suicidal behaviors. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of adults (≥ 18 years) presenting to 16 EDs in Alberta, Canada, between April 2011–March 2021. Suicidal attempt or self-harm was identified via International Classification of Diseases codes, 10th Rev, Canadian Enhancement (ICD-10-CA). Patients were classified as acutely intoxicated if they had relevant ICD-10-CA codes or a blood alcohol concentration ≥ 2 millimoles per liter (9.2 milligrams per deciliter). We excluded patients who died on arrival, were transferred, or were non-residents. The primary outcome was suicide-specific mortality at six months; secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, use of involuntary holds, psychiatric consultations, admissions, and ED return visits. Median differences with 95% confidence intervals and unadjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI were reported for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results: Among 58,051 suicidal or self-harm patients, 17,488 (30%) were classified as intoxicated. Six-month suicide mortality was similar between intoxicated and non-intoxicated groups (0.3% each; adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio = 0.98 [95% CI, 0.73-1.38]), indicating no significant association between alcohol intoxication and suicide-specific death. Intoxicated patients were more often male (58% vs 52%; OR 1.26 [1.22-1.31]), arrived by ambulance (70% vs 50%; OR 2.32 [2.23-2.41]), and were more frequently placed on involuntary holds (26% vs 16%; OR 1.92 [1.83-2.00]). They had fewer hospital admissions (10.8% vs 15.4%; OR 0.63 [0.60-0.67]), longer ED stays (411 vs 277 minutes; median difference = 134 minutes [127.7-140.3]), and higher ED return rates at 30 days (19.8% vs 18.3%; OR 1.10 [1.05-1.15]) and six months (45.8% vs 42.1%; OR 1.16 [1.12-1.20]). Conclusion: Acute alcohol intoxication among ED patients presenting with suicidal behaviors was not independently associated with higher six-month suicide mortality. Patients with acute alcohol intoxication had increased use of involuntary holds, longer lengths of stay, and more frequent ED return visits. Future work should explore other psychosocial and clinical factors, including substance use and psychiatric comorbidities, that may influence outcomes beyond the acute setting.

Aim Pedestrian fatalities commonly involve alcohol. We sought to characterize alcohol intoxication among pedestrians struck by vehicles and examine correlations between admission time and injury severity. Methods The Los Angeles County Trauma and Emergency Medicine Information System database was reviewed for pedestrians struck by vehicles over a 16-year period starting January 2000. Subjects aged ≥18 years with available time and day of admission were selected. Patients with available blood alcohol content (BAC) were analyzed and those with positive (+) BAC (≥ 0.01%) were compared with those with negative (−) BAC. The primary outcome was mortality. Result 35 840 patients met criteria, with 12 122 (33.8%) tested for BAC. 71.2% were (+) BAC. The proportion of (+) BAC pedestrians peaked at 02:00 (48.9% of admitted pedestrians, 88.5% of BAC tested pedestrians). Patients with a (+) BAC were more likely hypotensive (3.5% vs 2.7%, P = .019) and admitted with a Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 8 (9.4% vs 7.1%, P < .001). Overall mortality was 4.6%. Those admitted from 06:00 to 11:00 had the highest odds of mortality in (+) BAC patients (4.7%, adjusted odds ratio 3.16, adjusted P < .001). Conclusion Pedestrians struck by vehicles during late hours are commonly intoxicated. These findings could help legislators to implement changes and strategies to decrease the risk and burden of injury in intoxicated pedestrians.

Objectives Off-road vehicle (ORV) and motorcycle use is common in Canada; however, risk of serious injury is heightened when these vehicles are operated without helmets and under the influence of alcohol. This study evaluated the impact of alcohol intoxication on helmet non-use and mortality among ORV and motorcycle crashes. Methods Using data collected from the Nova Scotia Trauma Registry, a retrospective analysis (2002–2017) of ORV and motorcycle crashes resulting in major traumatic brain injury was performed. Patients were grouped by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as negative (< 2 mmol/L), legally intoxicated (2-17.3 mmol/L) or criminally intoxicated (> 17.3 mmol/L). Logistic regression models were constructed to test for helmet non-use and mortality. Results A total of 424 trauma patients were included in the analysis (220 ORV, 204 motorcycle). Less than half (45%) of patients involved in ORV crashes were wearing helmets and 65% were criminally intoxicated. Most patients involved in motorcycle crashes were helmeted at time of injury (88.7%) and 18% were criminally intoxicated. Those with criminal levels of intoxication had 3.7 times the odds of being unhelmeted and were 3 times more likely to die prehospital compared to BAC negative patients. There were significantly increased odds of in-hospital mortality among those with both legal (OR = 5.63), and criminal intoxication levels (OR = 4.97) compared to patients who were BAC negative. Conclusion Alcohol intoxication is more frequently observed in ORV versus motorcycle crashes. Criminal intoxication is associated with helmet non-use. Any level of intoxication is a predictor of increased in-hospital mortality.

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most important factors in a substantial number of violent deaths. The aim of our study was to investigate alcohol-related deaths in the Republic of North Macedonia in the period from 2007 to 2020, in order to study the influence of elevated blood alcohol levels in violent deaths. Five hundred sixty-four post-mortem blood samples from alcohol-related death cases—natural deaths and violent deaths (suicides, accidents, and homicides)—were analyzed, and the results were evaluated according to sex, age, and cause of death. Among 564 cases, traffic accidents were the leading cause of violent death (54.3% of the cases) followed by suicides (19.9% of the cases). In the examined post-mortem samples, BAC values ranged from 0.15–6.20 g/L. The average age was 45 ± 16 years for the male and 49 ± 19 years for the female group. The biggest proportion of high BAC values was found in the group of accidents specifically road traffic accidents and accidental intoxication as well as in the group of bolus deaths. The analysis of BAC in the cases of violent deaths in the Republic of North Macedonia confirmed that consumption of alcohol is strongly related to violent deaths. The data obtained from this study could raise caution and give aid in a national strategy for the prevention of alcohol-related violent deaths.

Alcohol-related motor vehicle collisions are a major cause of mortality in trauma patients. This prospective observational study investigated the influence of antecedent alcohol use on outcomes in trauma patients who survived to reach the hospital. From 2005 to 2011, all patients who were older than 18 years and were admitted as a result of motor vehicle crashes were included. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was routinely measured for each patient on admission. Patients were divided into four groups based on their BAC level, which included nondrinking, BAC less than 100, BAC 100 to 200, and BAC 200 mg/dL or greater. Patient demographics, physical status and injury severity on admission, length of hospital stay, and outcome were compared between the groups. Odds ratios of having a severe injury, prolonged hospital stay, and mortality were estimated. Patients with a positive BAC had an increased risk of sustaining craniofacial and thoracoabdominal injuries. Odds ratios of having severe injuries (Injury Severity Score [ISS] 16 or greater) and a prolonged hospital stay were also increased. However, for those patients whose ISS was 16 or greater and who also had a brain injury, risk of fatality was significantly reduced if they were intoxicated (BAC 200 mg/dL or greater) before injury. Alcohol consumption does not protect patients from sustaining severe injuries nor does it shorten the length of hospital stay. However, there were potential survival benefits related to alcohol consumption for patients with brain injuries but not for those without brain injuries. Additional research is required to investigate the mechanism of this association further.

Alcohol is one of the most important personal risk factors for serious and fatal injuries, contributing to approximately one third of all deaths from accidents. It is also described that alcohol intoxication leads to a higher mortality in the clinical course. In this study, we hypothesized that alcohol intoxication leads to different accident kinematics, a higher ISS (Injury Severity Score), and higher preclinical mortality compared to sober patients. A technical and medical investigation of alcohol intoxated road users was performed on the scene of the crash and at the primary admitting hospital. Alcohol testing was performed with either breath alcohol tests or measurement of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in a standard laboratory test. Between 1999 and 2010, 37,635 road traffic accidents were evaluated by the Accident Research Unit. Overall 20,741 patients were injured, 2.3% of the patients were killed. Among the injured patients, 2.2% with negative BAC were killed, compared to 4.6% fatal injuries in patients with a positive BAC (p < 0.0001). Of the patients with a positive BAC, 8.0% were severely injured, compared to 3.6% in the BAC negative group (p < 0.0001). Regarding the relative speed at impact (Δv for motorized drivers, vehicle collision speed for pedestrians and bikers), there was a significant higher difference for BAC positive patients (30 ± 20) compared to the BAC negative patients (25 ± 19, p < 0.0001). Alcohol intoxication in trauma patients leads to higher preclinical mortality, higher impact speed difference, and higher injury severity. The subgroup analysis for different alcohol concentrations shows no difference in ISS, MAIS, and relative speed, but a correlation of increasing age of patients with higher alcohol concentrations.

Objectives Although there is a large and growing body of evidence concerning the impact of contracting economies on suicide mortality risk, far less is known about the role alcohol consumption plays in the complex relationship between economic conditions and suicide. The aims were to compare the postmortem alcohol intoxication rates among male and female suicide decedents before (2005–2007), during (2008–2009) and after (2010–2011) the economic contraction in the USA. Methods Data from the restricted National Violent Death Reporting System (2005–2011) for male and female suicide decedents aged 20 years and older were analysed by Poisson regression analysis to test whether there was significant change in the fractions of suicide decedents who were acutely intoxicated at the time of death (defined as blood alcohol content ≥0.08 g/dL) prior, during and after the downturn. Results The fraction of all suicide decedents with alcohol intoxication increased by 7% after the onset of the recession from 22.2% in 2005–2007 to 23.9% in 2008–2011. Compared with the years prior to the recession, male suicide decedents showed a 1.09-fold increased risk of alcohol intoxication within the first 2 years of the recession. Surprisingly, there was evidence of a lag effect among female suicide decedents, who had a 1.14-fold (95% CI 1.02 to 1.27) increased risk of intoxication in 2010–2011 compared with 2005–2007. Conclusions These findings suggest that acute alcohol intoxication in suicide interacts with economic conditions, becoming more prevalent during contractions.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of ethanol (ETOH) on the incidence of severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI)-associated coagulopathy and to examine the effect of ETOH on in-hospital outcomes in patients sustaining sTBI. Patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit from June 2005 through December 2008 following sTBI, defined as a head Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score ≥3, were retrospectively identified. Patients with a chest, abdomen, or extremity AIS score >3 were excluded to minimize the impact of extracranial injuries. Criteria for sTBI-associated coagulopathy included thrombocytopenia and/or elevated International Normalized Ratio (INR) and/or prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). The incidence of admission coagulopathy, in-hospital complications, and mortality were compared between patients who were ETOH positive [ETOH (+)] and ETOH negative [ETOH (−)]. During the study period, there were 439 patients with ETOH levels available for analysis. Overall, 46.5% (n=204) of these patients were ETOH (+), while 53.5% (n=235) were ETOH (−). Coagulopathy was significantly less frequent in the ETOH (+) patients compared to their ETOH (−) counterparts (5.4% versus 15.3%; adjusted p<0.001). In the forward logistic regression analysis, a positive ETOH level proved to be an independent protective factor for admission coagulopathy [OR (95% CI)=0.24 (0.10,0.54; p=0.001]. ETOH (+) patients had a significantly lower in-hospital mortality rate than ETOH (−) patients [9.8% versus 16.6%; adjusted p=0.011; adjusted OR (95% CI)=0.39 (0.19,0.81)]. For brain-injured patients arriving alive to the hospital, ETOH intoxication is associated with a significantly lower incidence of early coagulopathy and in-hospital mortality. Further research to establish the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying any potential beneficial effect of ETOH on the coagulation system following sTBI is warranted.