ALCOHOL AND DRUG-ABUSE IN BURN INJURIES

Two studies are described in this paper. In the first study 225 acutel y severely burned patients were retrospectively investigated as to adm ission blood alcohol level and history of chronic alcohol abuse. The i nfluence of further risk factors, circumstances and therapeutic data w as studied, in particular the influence of gender, full-thickness burn s, smoke inhalation injury, smoking, length of total and ICU stay, and suicide attempt. The 70 patients with positive blood alcohol levels o n admission had a significantly higher fatality rate (31.5 per cent) i n comparison with the 18.1 per cent fatality rate of patients with a n egative blood alcohol level. Both groups had nearly identical mean TBS A and mean age. Chronic alcohol abuse was noted in 59 patients. These patients were found to have a higher fatality rate (31.4 per cent, 22/ 70) compared with that of patients without a history of chronic alcoho l abuse who had an overall fatality rate of 18.1 per cent (28/155). No significant difference was found between non-intoxicated and acutely intoxicated alcoholics (31.4 vs 29.3 per cent). Our conclusion is that intake of alcohol before burn injury represents an independent risk f actor. The second study was a prospective study of 16 consecutively ad mitted burn patients, who were evaluated For both drug and alcohol int ake. Five patients had positive drug levels and five had positive alco hol levels. Five patients had a history of chronic drug and/or alcohol abase. This incidence of alcohol and drug abuse supports the findings of our retrospective study.