EDITORIAL

Clinical assessment compared with breathalyser readings

Clinical assessment compared with breathalyser readings in the ER: concordance of ICD-10 Y90 and Y91 codes

R Touquet

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor R Touquet
A & E Department, St Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street, London, W2 1NY; robin.touquet@stmarys.nhs.uk

Accepted 15 November 2004

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Clinical assessment of the amount of alcohol that has been consumed by a patient presenting to the emergency department is notoriously difficult. How should the caring professions respond to the "Epidemic of Binge Drinking in the United Kingdom (UK)"?¹ Alcohol is a drug like any other, which depresses inhibitions initially, but is legal and used by 90% of society, including the medical profession.²

This paper, a work from twelve countries, defines the accuracy of clinical assessment (ICD-10 Y91) by comparison with alcohol breathalyser readings (ICD-10 Y90). It is well worked, multinational, with robust methodologies supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The paper shows that approximately 95% of patients, with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC—as measured by breathalyser) below 60 mg per 100 ml of blood, were correctly diagnosed as being not intoxicated. Approximately 85% of patients with BAC above 60 mg% were correctly assessed . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Patton, R, Strang, J, Birtles, C, Crawford, M J (2007). Alcohol: a missed opportunity. A survey of all accident and emergency departments in England. Emerg. Med. J. 24: 529-531 [Abstract] [Full Text]