TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1990//
TI  - Characteristics of 167 consecutive traffic accident victims with special reference to alcohol intoxication: a prospective emergency room study
JO  - Sozial und Praventivmedizin
A1  - Wyss, D.
A1  - Rivier, L.
A1  - Gujer, H. R.
A1  - Paccaud, F.
A1  - Magnenat, P.
A1  - Yersin, Bertrand
SP  - 108
EP  - 116
VL  - 35
IS  - 3
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0303-8408
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -