@article{ref1,
title="The relationship of blood alcohol concentration to impairment severity in spinal cord injury",
journal="Journal of spinal cord medicine",
year="2005",
author="Forchheimer, Martin and Cunningham, Rebecca M. and Gater, David R. Jr and Maio, Ronald F.",
volume="28",
number="4",
pages="303-307",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and severity of neurological impairment. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI; N = 119) with dates of injury between 1991 and 2000 who received their acute treatment at a midwestern Model SCI Care System and for whom information regarding BAC was available. ANALYSIS: Main outcome measure: severity of neurological impairment. Data were analyzed using chi2 tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: A significant association was observed between impairment severity and BAC. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that alcohol consumption is associated with severity of SCI. A more rigorous study controlling for trauma attributes is necessary to confirm these results and appraise whether alcohol has a potentiating effect on impairment. If borne out, the study's findings may lead to alterations in emergency room procedures and to changes in public health and education efforts resulting from a reframing of the issue of safe consumption of alcohol.",
language="",
issn="1079-0268",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}