Blood alcohol content (BAC)-negative victims in alcohol-involved injury incidents.
OBJECTIVE
To understand better how often BAC-negative victims suffer fatal and non-fatal alcohol-involved injuries.


METHODS
We analyzed 1988-1993 data from Oklahoma surveillance systems that track all people killed or hospitalized due to burns, submersions and spinal cord injuries (SCIs) and investigate alcohol use by victims and any others who contributed to their injuries.


METHODS
Percentage of victims BAC-positive and percentage of victims BAC-negative in alcohol-involved incidents.


RESULTS
Of 5107 cases studied, alcohol involvement was known for 4773 (93%), 1882 fire burns (93%), 1560 scald and other burns (97%), 698 submersions (92%) and 967 spinal cord injuries (89%). By type of injuries, BAC-negative victims were 4%, 13%, 6% and 8% of alcohol-involved cases, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
A sizeable number of BAC-negative victims suffer alcohol-involved injuries. Although alcohol is not the cause of some of these injuries, alcohol policy changes probably could avert others.
University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD 20878, USA. levy@pire.org
David T
DT
Levy
Ted R
TR
Miller
Sue
S
Mallonee
Rebecca S
RS
Spicer
Eduardo O
EO
Romano
Deborah A
DA
Fisher
Gordon S
GS
Smith
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004332:Drowning / Q000453:epidemiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D009825:Oklahoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol