Risk assessment in patients with acute alcohol intoxication.

AIM: Patients with acute alcohol intoxication present a serious and still growing problem for pre- and intra-hospital emergency services. Data on the clinical risk assessment of alcohol-intoxicated patients are sparse. The aim of the present work was, therefore, to collect and assess relevant risk parameters.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

At the Mannheim University Hospital, the medical records of 844 alcohol-intoxicated Emergency Department patients were retrospectively studied and evaluated.

RESULTS

The patients with alcohol intoxications were predominantly males with an average age of 45 years. Mean blood alcohol concentration was 0.28%. The rate of haemodynamic, respiratory or metabolic complications in these patients was low. In 43% of cases, there was moderately to severely impaired consciousness. About half of the patients were treated on an outpatient basis.

CONCLUSION

Our data demonstrate a low clinical risk for alcohol-intoxicated patients. Nevertheless, it is necessary to provide a defined monitoring standard in order to also be prepared for the few potential complications of alcohol intoxication and the possible differential diagnoses of impaired consciousness.