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.
Golan
Jeff Dror
JD
Department of Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and the Montreal General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. jeffgolan@hotmail.com
Marcoux
Judith
J
Golan
Eyal
E
Schapiro
Robert
R
Johnston
Karen M
KM
Maleki
Mahammed
M
Khetarpal
Suneel
S
Jacques
Line
L
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014193:Trauma Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome