Abstract
Aim. To describe the actual use of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing in an emergency department. Method. This study was performed to examine in what circumstances emergency medicine doctors and nurses request blood alcohol concentrations and the outcome of patients so tested. A retrospective study was performed. A database of all the patients who presented to the emergency department and who were tested for BAC in 2012 was created. Descriptive statistics are used to present the findings. Results. During 2012, there were 1191 patients on whom BAC testing was performed. 37 patients had a BAC greater than the allegedly lethal concentration of 400 mg/100 mL. Using a multifactorial analysis model, a higher blood alcohol concentration was associated with a lower Glasgow Coma Score. Conclusion. BAC testing is most often performed in the context of alleged overdose. BAC was performed in other clinical scenarios albeit in less than 2% of all ED attendances.
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