Adolescent presentations with alcohol intoxication to the emergency department at Joondalup Health Campus in 2013.

OBJECTIVE: To document the number of adolescents aged 16 years and under presenting to the ED at Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) with problems related primarily to alcohol intoxication, and document information about these presentations.

METHOD: Presentations of adolescents were sourced from the Emergency Department Information System database at JHC. The patient's notes were interrogated for data on presentation and discharge times, means of arrival to the ED, age, gender, arrival Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), location from where the adolescent was brought and blood alcohol levels (BALs), if done. These were analysed, and descriptive statistics was reported.

RESULTS: Fifty-six adolescents (61% girls) were brought in to JHC ED with alcohol intoxication in 2013. The majority (76.8%) arrived between 21.00 hours and 05.00 hours, most often by ambulance or police (58.9%). Most adolescents had BALs performed (80.4%) and of those, nearly seven in eight (86.7%) had a BAL >0.1 g/L, with a mean of 0.161 g/L (SD 0.066). Girls had a lower mean BAL, but 26.5% presented with a GCS <14. Most 16 year olds were brought from organised parties, whereas other age groups were more likely drinking at a friend's house or with friends. Few (12.5%) were drinking at home.

CONCLUSION: Adolescents requiring review in an ED for alcohol intoxication are most often brought in by ambulance or police in the late evening or early morning. They are most likely to have high BALs and a significant proportion will have a GCS <14.