title: Risk of pneumonia in central nervous system injury with alcohol intake: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Central nervous system (CNS) injury can increased the risk of secondary mortality because of its late inflammatory complications. Alcohol intake increases the risk of damage and complications subsequent to a (CNS) injury. How about the risk of pneumonia after CNS injury under the effect of alcoholic drink? Though animal trails of material prosperity and studies for human have been investigated in recent decades, the outcome maintains poor understanding. Pneumonia is one of the serious complication at the time of hospitalization and it should be known as more as possible for steadying patient conditions in intensive care unit and shortening length of stay. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of published materials to assess the association between alcohol intake and pneumonia in CNS injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two authors searched the PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and web of science up to September, 2014 for published literatures without any limitations. Reference lists from identified studies were also screened carefully by us for additional data. The summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by statistical analysis software (Stata 12.0) with fixed-effects models to estimate the risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that a higher incidence of pneumonia was found in CNS injury under the influence of alcohol (RR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.21-1.43), and the risk has no relation to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (BAC ≥ 80 mg/dl vs < 80 mg/dl, BAC ≥ 100 mg/dl vs < 100 mg/dl).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury patients who are under the influence of alcoholic drink have a higher risk of pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University 188 Shizi Road, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Chunming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University 188 Shizi Road, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University 188 Shizi Road, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xuetao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University 188 Shizi Road, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Chuanjin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University 188 Shizi Road, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Youxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: Central nervous system; alcohol; meta-analysis; pneumonia