Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment in the Medically Hospitalized Patient: A Pilot Study Assessing Predictors for Medical or Psychiatric Complications

Contemporary Management and Outcomes of Veterans Hospitalized With Alcohol Withdrawal: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

“…The median maximum heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure during the first 24 hours of admission were 108 beats per minute (IQR, 97-121 beats per minute), 158 mm Hg (IQR, 145-170 mm Hg), and 95 mm Hg (88-105 mm Hg). The median maximum alcohol severity score based on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, revised (CIWA-Ar), in the first 24 hours was 11 (IQR, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…Candidate variables were selected from the literature. [7][8][9][10][11][12] We also included variables of primary interest including treatment mode and type of medication used for withdrawal regardless of statistical association. Models examining complicated withdrawal were only performed among male veterans, as no female veterans in this sample experienced complicated withdrawal.…”

“…Variables were defined in a manual of operations for consistency across sites (Supplementary Table 2, http://links.lww.com/SHK/B897). Variables manually extracted included personal history of alcohol use disorder based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition , criteria, living situation, employment, risk factors for complicated withdrawal such as prior admissions for alcohol withdrawal, 7 prior alcohol withdrawal seizures or alcohol withdrawal delirium, 8 current acute medical or psychiatric conditions requiring hospitalization, 9 admission vital signs 10 and laboratory values, 9 initial and maximum alcohol withdrawal severity scores, 11 and daily amount of alcohol consumed 7 . Acute medical or psychiatric conditions requiring hospitalization were judged to be present by reviewers if patients had an indication for admission other than alcohol withdrawal.…”

“…Significant factors ( P < 0.05) were included in an adjusted model. Candidate variables were selected from the literature 7-12 . We also included variables of primary interest including treatment mode and type of medication used for withdrawal regardless of statistical association.…”

Beyond Substance Use Reduction: The Positive Impact of Mentorship for Addiction Problems (MAP)

“…Current literature highlights the effect of substance withdrawal on psychiatric symptoms. During periods of withdrawal, patients are likely to experience an increase in their psychiatric symptoms and a decrease in global functioning [23,25,26]. This makes the onset of treatment a particularly important time.…”