Prevalence of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulphate among patients injured when driving or at work.

AIMS

Presence of EtG or EtS among patients injured when driving or at work may indicate that very low BAC or residual effects of alcohol at the time of the accident may be associated with increased accident risk. The aim of this study was to assess: whether the alcohol metabolites EtG and EtS were present in a sample of patients injured when driving or injured at work, even if their blood alcohol concentration was negative; and, if EtG and EtS were present, what characterized these patients.

METHODS

Blood samples from patients admitted for treatment of injuries at a Norwegian emergency department were tested for alcohol, EtG and EtS. All samples were also analysed for medicinal and illicit psychoactive substances.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-two injured patients who were admitted <12 h after injury were included in the study. EtG or EtS were the most prevalent substances in the sample (17%), and a substantial proportion of the patients who tested negative for all other substances tested positive for EtG or EtS (8%). These patients were older than the rest of the sample and drank alcohol more often, according to their self-report.

CONCLUSION

EtG and EtS were prevalent among patients injured when driving or injured at work, including patients negative for all other substances. EtG and EtS should be included in future case-control studies of psychoactive substance use among injured patients to investigate the possible association between residual alcohol effects and injuries.