Alcohol withdrawal syndrome in admitted trauma patients.

Background: As alcohol use is highly prevalent in trauma patients, we hypothesized that a significant proportion of hospitalized trauma patients would demonstrate alcohol withdrawal (AW).

Methods: The trauma registries at a joint trauma center system from 1999 to 2008 were evaluated for patients aged at least 16 years.

Results: Of 19,369 trauma admissions, 159 patients had AW.