Traumatic brain injury in intoxicated patients.

BACKGROUND

We sought to evaluate the effect alcohol intoxication may have had in nonsurgically treated patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

METHODS

The Montreal General Hospital Traumatic Brain Injury Registry was used to identify all adult patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score < or =8 at admission, within a 15-month period. All charts were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

Twenty-three patients had toxic blood alcohol levels (BAL > or =21.7 mmol/L), 24 were alcohol negative (BAL <3 mmol/L), and 10 were alcohol-influenced or had unknown BAL. Patients were more likely to have intracranial pressure monitoring if they had multiple intracranial hemorrhages, sustained multiple injuries, or had a post-resuscitative Glasgow Coma Scale score < or =8. Intoxicated patients had a mean delay of 151 minutes more in the insertion time of an intracranial pressure monitoring device, compared with alcohol-negative patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol was a confounding factor in the treatment of some of our patients.