Published in:
01-09-2015 | Original Article
Significant reduction in alcohol-related admissions to an intensive care unit in Dublin
Published in: Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) | Issue 3/2015
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Background
In 2008, we conducted an audit in our general intensive care unit (ICU) which demonstrated a high workload from alcohol-related admissions which represented 12 % of total admissions and 16.8 % of total available bed days at that time.
Aims
To repeat the audit 5 years later in 2013 to assess the current workload from alcohol-related admissions and whether this had increased or decreased in the intervening time period.
Methods
We retrospectively collected data from every admission to our 17-bed general ICU for the 6-month period from June 1 2013 to November 30 2013. We identified all admissions that were related to alcohol misuse. Their admission diagnosis, age, gender, ICU length of stay, APACHE 2 score (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation 2) and 30-day mortality were recorded. The results of the 2013 audit were then compared with data from the 2008 study.
Results
There were 30 % less alcohol-related admissions to our ICU in 2013 compared to the same period in 2008. The study group had a longer length of stay on average but a lower mortality than the control group.
Conclusion
There has been a significant reduction in the ICU workload from alcohol-related admissions in our general ICU in the past 5 years.