International Emergency Nursing
Volume 18, Issue 2 , Pages 89-98 , April 2010

How is alcohol withdrawal syndrome best managed in the emergency department?

  • Louise Jane, Bsc (Hons) (Staff Nurse)

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationMobile: +07872622536.

Received 23 October 2008 ,Revised 24 August 2009 ,Accepted 4 September 2009.

References 

  1. Bayard M, McIntyre J, Hill K, Woodside J. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. American Family Physician. 2004;69(6):1443–1450
  2. Bethesda M. In: Alcohol: What You Know Can Harm You. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 96:NIH Publication; 2001;p. 4153
  3. Biggs K, Boulware A. Recognizing and managing your patient’s alcohol abuse. Nursing. 2000;30(2):56–59
  4. Blisson J, Nadeaux L, Demers A. The validity of the CAGE scale to screen for heavy drinking and drinking problems in a general population survey. Addiction. 1999;94:715–722
  5. Compton P. Caring for an alcohol-dependent patient. Nursing. 2002;32(12):58–64
  6. Crawford M, Patton R, Touquet R, Drummond C, Byford S, Barrett B, et al. Screening and referral for brief intervention of alcohol-misusing patients in an emergency department: a pragmatic randomised control trial. The Lancet. 2004;364:1334–1339
  7. Crumpler J, Ross A. Development of an alcohol withdrawal protocol: a quality of care initiative. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 2005;20(4):297–301
  8. Daeppan J, Gauche P, Landry U. Reducing benzodiazepine use for alcohol withdrawal: symptom-triggered compared with fixed-schedule therapy. Archive International Medicine. 2002;162:1117–1121
  9. Daeppen J, Guame J, Bady P, Yersin B, Calmes J, Givel J, et al. Brief alcohol intervention and alcohol assessment do not influence alcohol use in injured patients treated in the emergency department: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Addiction. 2007;102:1224–1233
  10. Demmie M, McLeod G, Hall P. The CAGE questionnaire: validation of a new alcoholism screening instrument. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1974;131:1121–1123
  11. D’Onofrio G, Degutis L. Preventive care in the emergency department: screening and brief intervention for alcohol problems in the emergency department. A systematic review. Journal Academic Emergency Medicine Journal. 2002;9(6):627–634
  12. Driessen M, Lange W, Junghanns K, Wetterling T. Proposal of a clinical typology of alcohol withdrawal – a cluster analysis approach. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2005;40(4):308–313
  13. DVA . Alcohol Practice Guidelines. Australia: Department of Veterans Affairs; 2005;
  14. Foy A, Kay J, Taylor A. The course of alcohol withdrawal in a general hospital. QJM. 1997;90:253–261
  15. Gossop M, Keaney F, Stewart D, Marshall J, Strang J. A short alcohol withdrawal scale (SAWS): development and psychometric properties. Addiction Biology. 2002;7:37–43
  16. Henderson-Martin B. No more surprises: screening patients for alcohol abuse. American Journal of Nursing. 2000;100(9):26–33
  17. Hungerford D, Pollock D. Emergency department services for patients with alcohol problems research directions. Academic Emergency Medicine Journal. 2003;10(1):79–84
  18. Hodgson R, Abbasi T, Waller S, Thom B, Newcombe R. FAST screening for alcohol misuse. Addictive Behaviour. 2003;28:1453–1463
  19. Holbrooke A, Crowther R, Lotter A, Cheng C, King D. Diagnosis and management of acute alcohol withdrawal. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1999;160:675–680
  20. Huntley J, Blain C, Hood S, Touquet R. Improving detection of alcohol misuse in patients presenting to an accident and emergency department. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2001;18:99–104
  21. Interdepartmental Working Group . Sensible Drinking. London: DOH; 1995;
  22. Institute of Alcohol Studies . The Impact of Alcohol on the NHS. Cambs: IAS; 2007;
  23. Jaeger T, Lohr R, Pankratz V. Symptom-triggered therapy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome in medical inpatients. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2001;76(7):695–701
  24. Kahan M, Borgundvaag B, Midmer D, Borsoi D, Edwards C, Ladhani N. Treatment variability and outcome differences in the emergency department management of alcohol withdrawal. Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2005;7(2):87–92
  25. McKinley M. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome: overlooked and mismanaged? Critical care nurse. 2005;25(3):40–48
  26. Pirmohamed M, Brown C, Owens C, Breckenridge A, Gilmore A, Park B. The burden of alcohol misuse on an inner-city general hospital. QJM. 2000;93:291–295
  27. Reynaud M, Schwan R, Loiseaux-Meunier M, Albuisson E, Deteix P. Patients admitted to emergency services for drunkenness: moderate alcohol users or harmful drinkers?. Journal of Psychiatry. 2001;158(1):96–99
  28. Royal College of Physicians . Alcohol – Can the NHS Afford it?. London: Royal College of Physicians; 2001;
  29. Sachse D. Emergency: delirium tremens. American Journal of Nursing. 2000;100(5):41–42
  30. Saunders J, Aasland O, Babor T, Fuente J, Grant M. Development of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption. Addiction. 1993;88:791–803
  31. Shaw J. Development of optimal treatment tactics for alcohol withdrawal: assessment and effectiveness of supportive care. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 1981;11:382–387
  32. Smith-Alnimer M, Watford M. Alcohol withdrawal and delirium tremens: FAST recognition may save a patient from the worst of withdrawal. American Journal of Nursing. 2004;104(5):72A–75G
  33. Sullivan J, Sykora K, Schneiderman J, Naranjo C, Sellers E. Assessment of alcohol withdrawal: the revised clinical institute withdrawal assessment for alcohol scale (CIWA-Ar). British Journal of Addiction. 1989;84:1353–1357
  34. Thompson A, Cook C, Touquet R, Henry J. The royal college of physicians report on alcohol: guidelines for managing Wernicke’s encephalopathy in the accident and emergency department. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2002;37(6):513–521
  35. Wetterling T, Kanitz R, Besters B. A new rating scale for the assessment of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS-scale). Alcohol and Alcoholism. 1997;32:753–760
  36. Williams D, Lewis J, McBride A. A comparison of rating scales for the alcohol-withdrawal syndrome. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2001;36(2):104–108
  37. Zacharias S. Development of an alcohol withdrawal clinical pathway: an interdisciplinary process. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 1998;12(3):9–18

PII: S1755-599X(09)00080-9

doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2009.09.001

International Emergency Nursing
Volume 18, Issue 2 , Pages 89-98 , April 2010

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution