Alcohol and Bladder Injury in Motor Vehicle Incidents

Following motor vehicle incidents, alcohol consumption is independently linked to an elevated risk of bladder damage and subsequent bladder surgery repair, says an article published in The Journal of Urology.

Alcohol use is an established risk factor for car accidents. In order to test the theory that ethanol intoxication increases the likelihood of bladder damage and surgical repair, particularly at higher blood alcohol content levels, Jason L. Lui and colleagues undertook this study.

From 2017 to 2019, all patients involved in auto accidents were located by researchers using the National Trauma Data Bank. Patients were divided into two groups: those who were intoxicated and those who weren't. Age, sex, blood alcohol level, driving status, usage of seat belt restraints, nonalcoholic drunkenness, pelvic fracture, and Injury Severity Scale were among the variables gathered. Primary outcome measures of bladder damage and surgical bladder repair were evaluated, together with interactions with pelvic fracture and restraint usage.

Key Findings

• A total of 594,484 patients were found, and 97,831 (16.5%) of them tested positive for alcohol.
• Patients in the intoxication group had higher rates of bladder injuries (1% vs .4%, P.001), other drug intoxication (32.8% vs 14.6%, P.001), and bladder surgery (.7% vs 15%, P .001).
• A pelvic fracture and the Damage Severity Scale were statistically significant predictors of bladder injury.
• A greater blood alcohol level was linked to both outcomes in the adjusted analysis.
• Alcohol use over the legal limit was more likely to predict bladder surgery than pelvic fracture.
• Even while pelvic fracture did not affect the relationship between alcohol consumption and either outcome, it did strengthen when a seat belt was used and at greater intoxication levels.

In conclusion, trauma professionals should be on the lookout for bladder injuries in alcohol-impaired patients, especially those who are being restrained by seat belts.

Reference

Lui, J. L., Hakam, N., Shaw, N. M., Cuschieri, J., Abbasi, B., & Breyer, B. N. (2022). Alcohol Intoxication Is Associated with Bladder Injury and Bladder Surgical Repair in Patients Sustaining Motor Vehicle Collisions. In Journal of Urology. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). https://doi.org/10.1097/ju.0000000000002831