title: Severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome: Evolution of care and impact of adjunctive therapy on course and complications of 171 intensive care unit patients.
abstract: This single site retrospective observational study assessed the evolution of sedation therapy for severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the intensive care unit. Patient records for 2 intervals were reviewed: Interval 1, which included 87 intensive care unit patients admitted January 2005 through September 2007, for whom benzodiazedpine monotherapy was utilized; and Interval 2, January 2010 through December 2010, for whom 54 of 84 (64.3%) intensive care unit patients, including all those intubated, received adjunctive agents, including dexmedetomidine or propofol. Clinical management was similar for both intervals, as well as prevalence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome versus total adult hospital admissions and comorbid conditions. Overall, respiratory failure (53 versus 39%), seizures (36 versus 18%), and pneumonia (51 versus 38%) were less frequent during Interval 2 (all p < .05), with lower benzodiazedpine basal dose requirements for those given adjunctive therapy. However, if instances of pneumonia or respiratory failure related to seizures prior to intensive care unit admission are excluded, the prevalence of these complications was similar (p = ns) for Interval 1 and Interval 2. Intensive care unit and hospital length of stay were not altered by adjunctive therapy, which was typically employed for more severely affected patients. High intensity sedation with adjunctive drugs led to few cardiovascular adverse events and may have facilitated management, but did not alter intensive care unit course of severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puscas
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasoon
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eechevarria
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.|b Midwestern University College of Medicine , Glendale , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.|c University of Arizona College of Medicine , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chebbo
authors.affiliation: a Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.|b Midwestern University College of Medicine , Glendale , Arizona , USA.|c University of Arizona College of Medicine , Phoenix , Arizona , USA.|d Mayo Clinic College of Medicine , Scottsdale , Arizona , USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: W Carlson
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000379:methods; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome; benzodiazepine; dexmedetomidine; propofol