©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Crit Care Med. Feb 4, 2016; 5(1): 27-35
Published online Feb 4, 2016. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v5.i1.27
Published online Feb 4, 2016. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v5.i1.27
Alcoholism and critical illness: A review
Ashish Jitendra Mehta, Division of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
Author contributions: Mehta AJ contributed to the work in its entirety.
Supported by Ashish J Mehta is supported by a Career Development Award (1IK2CX000643) from the Department of Veterans Affairs (Clinical Science Research and Development).
Conflict-of-interest statement: Author declares no potential conflicts of interest for this article.
Correspondence to: Ashish Jitendra Mehta, MD, MSc, Division of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Pulmonary 111, 1670 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30033, United States. ashish.mehta@emory.edu
Telephone: +1-404-3216111 Fax: +1-404-4171525
Received: July 29, 2015
Peer-review started: July 29, 2015
First decision: September 28, 2015
Revised: October 7, 2015
Accepted: December 3, 2015
Article in press: December 4, 2015
Published online: February 4, 2016
Processing time: 178 Days and 4.5 Hours
Peer-review started: July 29, 2015
First decision: September 28, 2015
Revised: October 7, 2015
Accepted: December 3, 2015
Article in press: December 4, 2015
Published online: February 4, 2016
Processing time: 178 Days and 4.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Alcohol abuse is a major problem among hospitalized patients, and alcoholics are predisposed to developing critical illness while also facing increased rates of complications and mortality compared to non-alcoholics. The objective of this review is to examine the literature and summarize specific disorders encountered in intensive care unit settings that are impacted by alcoholism. Since alcohol use disorders are poorly recognized in hospitalized patients, this effort aims to raise awareness for critical care practitioners who frequently manage these susceptible patients.