A prospective study of breath alcohol levels among mildly injured adul
t patients was conducted over a 7-month period in the emergency depart
ment of a 15-bed hospital on a U.S. Air Force base in rural upstate Ne
w York. Severely injured patients were systematically excluded from th
e analysis. Three hundred twenty-seven patients were invited to partic
ipate, Two hundred sixty-seven submitted both a demographic questionna
ire and a breath alcohol test (BAT). Forty-six submitted just a questi
onnaire, Fourteen declined to participate, Eight patients had positive
BATs, representing 2.4% of the study population, or 3% of those who s
ubmitted a BAT. Thus, the prevalence of alcohol intoxication among pat
ients presenting to a small military hospital with minor injuries is m
uch lower than that among patients with major trauma, Minor injury may
not be the marker for alcoholism that major trauma is thought to be.