@article{ref1,
title="Characteristics of 167 consecutive traffic accident victims with special reference to alcohol intoxication: a prospective emergency room study",
journal="Sozial und Praventivmedizin",
year="1990",
author="Wyss, D. and Rivier, L. and Gujer, H. R. and Paccaud, F. and Magnenat, P. and Yersin, Bertrand",
volume="35",
number="3",
pages="108-116",
abstract="This prospective study examined the characteristics of 167 consecutive traffic accident victims admitted to the emergency room of a major Swiss hospital with particular attention to the presence of a detectable blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The majority of the study population were male (71%), 16-29 years of age (56%) and occupants of an automobile or motorcycle (70%). Most patients were injured during the daytime, with nighttime accidents increasing towards the end of the week. Seventy-five percent of the injured were drivers of the crash vehicle and the majority (56%) were involved in multi-vehicle accidents. Fifty-three percent of all injuries consisted of internal lesions and/or fractures with motorcyclists and pedestrians being the most severely injured. There was a 21% incidence of alcohol intoxication (BAC greater than = 0.8 g/kg); 97% of intoxicated patients were male, of which 38% were 16-29 years of age. There was a distinct age-related alcohol intoxication pattern among males, with an intoxication rate of 20% in the 16-29 age range and 40% in the 30-75 age range. Alcohol-related accidents occurred predominantly in the nighttime and towards the end of the week, and victims of single-vehicle crashes were more likely to be intoxicated (28%) than those injured in multi-vehicle crashes (17%). Moped drivers exhibited the highest rate of intoxication (45%) followed by pedestrians (42%). Our study confirms the high prevalence of acute alcohol intoxication among traffic accident victims in Switzerland, a fact which needs to be considered by the treating medical care providers for the early detection and referral of alcohol-related problems, and which should be limited by effective preventive measures.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0303-8408",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}