ALCOHOL AND INJURIES IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN KOLKATA, INDIA

DR.TUSHAR BHUTADA; DR. SANTOSH SINGH; DR.SUJOY DASTHAKUR; DR.INDRANEEL DASGUPTA; DR RANJAN DUTTA

Volume : IX, Issue : IV, April - 2019

ALCOHOL AND INJURIES IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN KOLKATA, INDIA

Dr. Tushar Bhutada, Dr. Santosh Singh, Dr. Sujoy Dasthakur, Dr. Indraneel Dasgupta, Dr Ranjan Dutta

Abstract :

Introduction– Alcoholics often report with heavy consumption patterns prior to injury, and are less likely to use healthcare services other than Emergency Departments (ED), thus making it the best place to obtain relevant information on the correlation between alcohol and injury. Methodology– The present study was undertaken in ED of a tertiary care hospital. Consenting patients were assessed for alcohol consumption by Breath alcohol analysis (BrAC), clinical assessment and self declaration. Results– Of the 512, 60.9%) were found positive for alcohol; 56.4% were positive on self reporting, 13.4% by BrAC while 30.1% on both BrAC and self report, 21.8% on clinical assessment only. Conclusion– Since 60% of injured patients presenting with injuries were positive for alcohol, assessment of alcohol in all patients should be used as a routine measure in ED. Self reporting of alcohol consumption should be encouraged