Effect of acute alcohol intoxication on mortality, coagulation, and fibrinolysis in trauma patients

BACKGROUND: The effect of alcohol on the outcome and fibrinolysis phenotype in trauma patients remains unclear. Hence, we performed this study to determine whether alcohol is a risk factor for mortality and fibrinolysis shutdown in trauma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 686 patients who presented to our trauma center and underwent rotational thromboelastometry were included in the study. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether alcohol was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality and fibrinolysis shutdown. RESULTS: The rate of in-hospital mortality was 13.8% and blood alcohol was detected in 27.7% of the patients among our study population. The patients in the alcohol-positive group had higher mortality rate, higher clotting time, and lower maximum lysis, more fibrinolysis shutdown, and hyperfibrinolysis than those in the alcohol-negative group. In logistic regression analysis, blood alcohol was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 2.578; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.550–4.288) and fibrinolysis shutdown (OR 1.883 [95% CI, 1.286–2.758]). Within the fibrinolysis shutdown group, blood alcohol was an independent predictor of mortality (OR 2.168 [95% CI, 1.030–4.562]). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol is an independent risk factor for mortality and fibrinolysis shutdown in trauma patients. Further, alcohol is an independent risk factor for mortality among patients who experienced fibrinolysis shutdown.