Breath alcohol analysis in the Accident and Emergency Department.

Breath alcohol analysis was undertaken in 1044 consecutive patients aged over 15 years attending the Accident and Emergency (A and E) Department of a rural district general hospital during a 50-day period. 16.5 per cent of all patients had the smell of alcohol on their breath, with 10.2 per cent of the patients recording a breath alcohol level equivalent to a blood level of 80 mg/100 ml or more. One-third of all patients attending between 9 pm and midnight, and almost two-thirds of patients attending between midnight and 3 am had positive breath tests. Positive breath tests were most likely in males, patients with head injuries, with overdoses, in victims of assault and in patients with a depressed conscious level, irrespective of cause. Clinical estimation of intoxication by alcohol may be accurate in the co-operative patient, but in the patient with a head injury or with a depressed conscious level from another cause, this is more difficult. Breath alcohol analysis is rapid, not-invasive, accurate and of clinical value in these and other high-risk patients attending hospital as emergencies.

[1]  C. Heanley,et al.  Intussusception in the Adult , 1938, British medical journal.

[2]  R. Newcombe,et al.  Letter: Maternal deaths. , 1975, Lancet.

[3]  A. Ghodse.  Deliberate self-poisoning: a study in London casualty departments. , 1977, British medical journal.

[4]  Tonge Ji.  Blood alcohol levels in patients attending hospital. After involvement in traffic accidents. , 1968 .

[5]  H. Scott.  Nomenclature of “Epidemic Myalgia” , 1935 .

[6]  Starmer Ga.  Alcohol, drugs and accident risk. , 1978 .

[7]  W R Murray,et al.  The relationship between alcohol and head injury and its effect on the conscious level , 1976, The British journal of surgery.

[8]  R. Honkanen,et al.  Blood alcohol levels in a series of injured patients with special reference to accident and type of injury. , 1976, Annales chirurgiae et gynaecologiae.

[9]  W. Rutherford.  DIAGNOSIS OF ALCOHOL INGESTION IN MILD HEAD INJURIES , 1977, The Lancet.

[10]  R. Evans,et al.  Blood alcohol concentrations of patients attending an accident and emergency department. , 1978, Resuscitation.

[11]  Horwitz Dl,et al.  Letter: Insulin suppression. , 1974 .

[12]  J. A. Waller.  Use and misuse of alcoholic beverages as factor in motor vehicle accidents. , 1966, Public health reports.

[13]  J. Watson.  Alcohol and the accident epartment. , 1969, The British journal of addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

[14]  A. Patel,et al.  Self-poisoning and alcohol. , 1972, Lancet.

[15]  T V Taylor,et al.  Alcohol and the emergency service patient. , 1980, British medical journal.

[16]  H. Wechsler,et al.  Alcohol level and home accidents. , 1969, Public health reports.

[17]  O Kiviluoto,et al.  Role of drugs in traffic accidents. , 1980, British medical journal.

[18]  R. Honkanen,et al.  Blood alcohol levels in injury victims at the emergency station of a rural central hospital. , 1976, Annales chirurgiae et gynaecologiae.