Citation

Chatham-Showalter PE, Dubov WE, Barr MC, Rhodes M, Sun JM, Wasser T. Psychosomatics 1996; 37(3): 285-288.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8849505

Abstract

Alcohol intoxication at the time of traumatic brain injury (TBI) presents many complications for critical care treatment. This is the first reported data on psychotropic dosages administered to TBI patients in the critical care setting. In this study, the blood alcohol level (BAL)-positive patients (n = 14) tended to be older (P = 0.095), have lower admission Glascow Coma Scores (P = 0.031), and spent more days on respirators (P = 0.125) than the BAL-zero patients (n = 21). The BAL-positive group received more days of narcotics and benzodiazepines with markedly higher average daily doses, not statistically significant. These results are a basis for studying relationships between medication, treatment variables, and outcomes for TBI patients and then developing specific medication guidelines.

Language: en