Alcohol withdrawal syndrome in admitted trauma patients

Background As alcohol use is highly prevalent in trauma patients, we hypothesized that a significant proportion of hospitalized trauma patients would demonstrate alcohol withdrawal (AW). Methods The trauma registries at a joint trauma center system from 1999 to 2008 were evaluated for patients aged at least 16 years. Results Of 19,369 trauma admissions, 159 patients had AW. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing was performed in 31.5% of the...