Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2015 Apr 22;19(1):185.
doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-0909-6.

Do alcohol use disorders impact on long term outcomes from intensive care?

Joanne M McPeake  1 , Martin Shaw  2 , Anna O'Neill  3 , Ewan Forrest  4 , Alex Puxty  5 , Tara Quasim  6 , John Kinsella  7
Affiliations
Observational Study

Do alcohol use disorders impact on long term outcomes from intensive care?

Joanne M McPeake et al. Crit Care. .

Abstract

Introduction: There is limited evidence regarding the impact of alcohol use disorders on long term outcomes from intensive care. The aims of this study were to analyse the nature and complications of alcohol related admissions to intensive care and determine whether alcohol use disorders impact on survival at six months post ICU discharge.

Method: This was an 18 month prospective observational cohort study in a 20 bedded mixed ICU, in a large teaching hospital in Scotland. On admission patients were allocated to one of three alcohol groups: low risk, harmful/hazardous, or alcohol dependency.

Results: 34.4% of patients were admitted with an alcohol use disorder. Those with an alcohol related admission (either harmful/hazardous or alcohol dependent) had an increased odds of developing septic shock during their admission, compared with the low risk group (OR 1.67; 95% CI 1.13-2.47, p = 0.01). After adjustment for all lifestyle factors which were significantly different between the groups, alcohol dependence was associated with more than a twofold increased odds of ICU mortality (OR 2.28; 95% CI 1.2-4.69, p = 0.01) and hospital mortality (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.28-4.621, p = 0.004). After adjustment for deprivation category and age, alcohol dependence was associated with an almost two fold increased odds of mortality at six months post ICU discharge (HR 1.86; CI 1.30-2.70, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Alcohol use disorders are a significant risk factor for the development of septic shock in intensive care. Further, alcohol dependency is independently associated with poorer long term outcomes from intensive care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Included and excluded participants in the 18-month prospective cohort study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Boxplot comparing median ICU length of stay (LOS) between the three study groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Kaplan-Meier curve for patients from the three study groups at 6 months post ICU discharge (adjusted for the presence of deprivation and age).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organisation (2014) Alcohol Fact Sheet http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs349/en/. Accessed 2 November 2014.
    1. Leon DA, McCambridge J. Liver Cirrhosis mortality rates in Britain from 1950 to 2002: an analysis of routine data. Lancet. 2006;367:52–6. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)67924-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Walsh D, Taulbut M, Hanlon P. The aftershock of deindustrialisation- trends in mortality in Scotland and other parts of post industrial Europe. Eur J Public Health. 2010;20:58–64. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckp063. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Government S. Scottish Ministerial Advisory Committee on Alcohol problems. Edinburgh: Essential Services Working Group. Scottish Government; 2011.
    1. Government S. Changing Scotland’s Relationship with alcohol. Edinburgh: A framework for action. Scottish Government; 2009.

Publication types